How flood submerged houses, road, school in Sokoto community

Recent torrential rains in Sokoto once again brought destruction for inhabitants of Lumbar Tureta town in Tureta Local Government Area of the state.

The rain wreaked havoc on the community, destroying its only primary school, clinic, business premises and Jummat mosque among others.

Although, over the years, the area has been facing flood disasters which crippled social and economic activities, the prevailing situation, Daily Trust learnt, has resulted in the temporary closure of the school in the village.

It was gathered that sometimes flood caused the school to remain shut for a term and a half, or throughout the rainy season.

Also, a gaping pothole has eroded a portion of the Sokoto-Gusau road

at Lumbar Tureta posing threat to motorists.

Following the situation in the community, last year, the World Bank funded programme, Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), said intervention had been planned for 10 erosion sites in Sokoto including Lumbar Tureta.

The state NEWMAP Project Coordinator, Ibrahim Umar said: “Earth dams would be constructed under the project. We are to construct drainages to channel water into earth dams.”

As the situation is yet to be redressed, the people of the area are calling on

the state government to come to their rescue.

The Village Head, Malam Hassan Bello, who has been on the throne since 2003, lamented that the village experienced flood any time there was heavy rainfall. He recalled that in 2017-2018 rainy season they recorded the worst flood as it caused great losses to the community.

While noting that this year the volume of water has increased, he said “many businesses have remained only because Lumbar Tureta, like similar spots such as Mararaba-Jos in Kaduna and Tafa in Niger, enjoy patronage of commercial drivers and travellers.

“But during the rainy season, it is usually distressing for the people in the area.”

A resident, Hauwa Ali, 47, whose eatery has been overtaken by water, said “I have been a food vendor for 15 years at this spot, and this is how we suffer every rainy season without succour from government.”

Hauwa described this year’s flood as one of the worst she had witnessed and called for drastic measures to redress the situation.

A businessman, Buba Lumbar Tureta, chided the elite from the area for their failure to put an end to the menace despite their status and position in government.

“I sat face to face with a lawmaker and pleaded with him to make Lumbar Tureta flood his priority issue as we do not want any project apart from that. What we want is to be saved from the menace, yet nothing has come out of the meeting”

Buba, who sells motor spare parts, lamented the appalling condition they have to bear transacting their respective businesses in a waterlogged environment.

“This year, over N20,000 worth of my spare parts got destroyed by the flood. You can see water all around us here.”

Meanwhile, the state House of Assembly last week, raised concern over the situation. It called on the state government to rehabilitate and construct additional waterways on the affected portion of Sokoto-Zamfara road in Tureta local government.

This followed a motion by the lawmaker representing Tureta constituency, Abdullahi Muhammad Randa, who explained to the House that in the rainy season, flood submerged that potion of road, and some public buildings thereby causing hardship to motorists and people in the area.

He noted that in 1997, then military Administrator of Sokoto State, Abdulrasheed Adisa Raji, gave a directive to construct an earth dam to divert the water but that since the dam was constructed, it had not been functioning.