By Abdullahi Lukman
More than 5,000 people have been displaced and at least 11 communities submerged by severe flooding in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State following three days of torrential rainfall and the overflow of the River Benue.
The flooding destroyed homes, submerged farmlands and disrupted access to several riverine communities, leaving residents struggling to find shelter and access clean drinking water.
The Director-General of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed that preliminary assessments indicated between 4,000 and 5,000 people had been affected across 11 to 12 communities. He added that some displaced residents had relocated to neighbouring communities for shelter.
A resident of Ochekpe, Emmanuel Ogebe, told LEADERSHIP that the flood destroyed maize, groundnuts, rice and other crops that were ready for harvest. He said several houses were also washed away after rainfall that began last Tuesday intensified the following day.
According to him, the affected communities remained inaccessible for days after floodwaters submerged and damaged the road linking them to Doma town. Some residents, including his relatives in Ochekpe, Rukubi and Ijiwo, were evacuated to Benue State through Kanone.
The NSEMA director-general and the state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, NGOs and Disaster Management, Muhammad Baba Shehu, confirmed the scale of the devastation. They travelled by speedboat from Makurdi, Benue State, along the River Benue to reach the affected areas because the road from Doma had become impassable.
The NSEMA chief said the flooding had submerged hundreds of households, damaged shelters and livelihoods, and created serious difficulties in accessing potable water.
He attributed the disaster to heavy rainfall and the overflow of the River Benue.
He disclosed that the agency had received a flood alert on May 9 identifying Toto, Nasarawa and Doma local government areas as being at risk this year. Although residents of riverine communities had been sensitised to the danger, he warned that the situation could deteriorate further following an anticipated release of water from a dam in Cameroon.
Meanwhile, the state government said it was working to provide assistance to affected residents. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is expected to supply food items, while NSEMA is procuring non-food relief materials, including mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, cement and roofing sheets, to support displaced households and families whose homes were damaged.
The NSEMA director-general also urged residents to observe building regulations and avoid constructing houses on floodplains or obstructing natural waterways with buildings and refuse, warning that such practices could worsen the impact of flooding.
