Follow Us on Google
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Kaduna State Government has commenced the dredging of a 4,000-metre stretch of River Kaduna as part of measures to expand its capacity and mitigate perennial flooding.
Speaking during the flag-off on Friday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs. Linda Yakubu, said the dredging would cover Barnawa, Living Faith axis, and other flood-prone communities along the river.
She explained that the exercise was being carried out with a swamp buggy recently procured and approved by Governor Uba Sani to strengthen the state’s flood-control capacity.
Other News
Yakubu recalled that the swamp buggy was inaugurated earlier in the year; marking the first time Kaduna State deployed its own equipment for flood prevention. She added that a similar intervention was completed in June around Airport Road, Kutungari, to ease water flow and protect residents’ homes and businesses. To her, tributaries emptying into River Kaduna would also be cleared to further enhance the river’s carrying capacity.
She warned against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways, stressing that mobile courts would sanction violators when monthly sanitation resumes in October. Also speaking, Assistant Chief Disaster Risk Reduction Officer at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ikramat Muazu described the dredging as a vital preventive action.
“Preventive measures are cheaper and safer than emergency responses.
“Proactive steps like dredging will save lives and reduce government expenditure on relief interventions. NEMA would intensify collaboration with state agencies to strengthen flood control and community resilience,” he said.
