Heavy rains flood Lafia farms, communities

The August-September downpours have swamped large size farms in Barkin Abdullahi Garage, a peasant community at the outskirt of Lafia, capital of Nasarawa State, leaving owners stranded. The area, located along Lafia-Doma Road, is flood-prone and has suffered record farm losses to devastating flood in previous years.
This year, too, farmers in that community are going through the usual pain as the downpours have sustained to swamp up their farms in a large size of area. The downpour situation worsened within the last one week when storm waters collected from other areas especially Tudun Gwandara, emptied into Barkin Abdullahi, and stagnated on the farmland as well as parts of the community.
Community members said property worth millions of naira were destroyed after they were sunk by the ravaging flood, early this week. They blamed the flooding on absence of drainage facilities.
Idris Adamu, a resident, told Daily Trust that dozens have already been displaced by the flood. “We are completely cut off from other areas because of the floods. And we don’t know when we are going to have respite,” Adamu said. “Houses have been submerged, and farms swamped completely. We have no hope of reclaiming our farms.”
Adamu said the farms were cultivated with various crops, most of which, like yam and other tubers, may not stand flooding. “And no vehicles come here again. All roads have been cut off, and we are at the risk of being washed up completely because of lack of facilities to drain up the flooded waters,” he added.
Adamu called on the state government to as a matter of urgency, provide relief to displaced persons, and to initiate a project to run drainages through the area to give them respite. He particularly appealed for the construction of a road from Kilema, through BAD garage   down to the new hospital as part of initiatives to address the situation in the area.