Bauchi state House of Assembly has passed a resolution calling on the state government to demolished all houses and other structures erected on waterways across the state.
Speaker of the House Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y. Suleiman (Ningi Central Constituency) disclosed the resolution during the plenary of the house in Bauchi.
This was shortly after the Adhoc Committee constituted by the House to visit all the 20 local government areas affected by the recent flood disaster that submerged many parts of the state presented its report.
Suleiman said that the house resolved that the state government should properly enforce the existing town planning laws without fear or favour.
He said “according to the findings of the house committee chaired by Hon. Bakoji Aliyu Bobbo (Chiroma Constituency), a total number of 61,954 houses were destroyed across the state, 56,266 farmlands destroyed, 45 roads/culverts were washed away, 26 bridges cut off, 228 wells destroyed, 1 Dispensary destroyed, 2 schools and 1 market also destroyed and 64 lives a lost. The Committee estimated the total cost of the damages to N4,862,471,203.”
The speaker explained that the government should demolish all houses and structures erected on waterways across the state as the National Hydrological Agency has issued a warning that Bauchi state is one of the states prone to perennial flood during raining season.
He said the house further suggested that the state government should embark upon construction of adequate drainage systems, earth dams, roads, culverts and bridges washed away by the recent flood, “Planting of trees, liaison between Bauchi State Government and NEMA to provide modern recreational canoes in all the riverine areas of the statewide.”
The speaker noted that state government should direct Ministry of Works, Land and Transport to embark upon flood sensitization programme with a view to sensitizing the people of Bauchi state to comply with standard building regulations, abide by early warning mechanisms and abstain from erecting buildings along waterways and drainage systems forthwith.
Similarly, Members representing (Burra Constituency) Ado Wakil and Hon. Saleh Muhammad (Jama’are Constituency) observed that some communities affected by the disaster in their communities are not captured in the report.
The speaker directed the Clerk of the house to communicate the resolution to the Executive arm.
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