Flood Destroys Farm Produce in Sokoto and Jigawa State

Farm produce worth over N100 million were recently destroyed by flood in 27 villages in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The Chairman of the Local Government, Alhaji Shehu Chacho, who disclosed this to newsmen in Wurno said the destroyed farm produce which were already maturing include; rice, millet, guinea corn, maize and beans.

Chacho said the flood was caused by the release of excess water from Goronyo dam and that it had affected no fewer than 7,577 farmers.

He said the villages affected by the disaster include; Dinbiso, Gidan-Kamba, Gidan-bango, ‘Yar-wurno, Tunga, Zayawa, Lahodu and Lugu.

Others are; Barayar-zaki, Kwargaba, Gidan-magori, Tuttudawa, Nasarawa, Gidan-Modi and Dabagin-manomi, among others.

According to the Chairman, no fewer than 2,500 hectares of farmlands under the Lugu canals had been submerged by the flood, which also destroyed similar farm  produce there.

“We have, therefore, constructed five-kilometer embankment along the Gidan-Modi to Gidan-kamba road.
“The project which cost about N7.8 million is aimed at preventing the flood waters from submerging the nearby Tuttuduwa canals,” he said.

Two farmers, Alhaji Garba Gidan-modi and Alhaji Musa Maigadaje, lamented saying “we had incurred huge losses.

“We are therefore appealing for urgent assistance from the three tiers of government and public-spirited organisations,” the victims said.

In Another Development, the village head of Warwade, Alhaji Ado Musa, has disclosed that flood has washed away over 200 rice farms valued at N20 million in his community in Dutse Local Government area of Jigawa State.

Musa who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen said the incident was as a result of a heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding caused by tributaries of the dam in the area in the last few days.
“All the rice we planted in over 200 farms at the bank of the dam was destroyed because the dam was over filled with water.

“We lost rice of over N20 million because we planted on north, south, east and west sides of the dam and the water has submerged it all, and the fishes in the dam were feeding on the rice day in and day out,” he said.

The village head recalled that it was predicted that low rainfall would be recorded in 2015, and as a result, farmers decided to plant their rice close to the dam.