Downpour Submerges Houses, Markets In Makurdi

Thousands of residents in Makurdi the Benue State capital, have been displaced following a heavy downpour that lasted four hours Sunday, which left hundreds of settlements, houses and markets submerged.

The downpour, which started around 12midnight, lasted for more than four hours. Some of the areas worst hit by the development include Idye village along Zone 4, police headquarters, Radio Benue settlement, Pleasure Travels Coy Limited, Wurukum Market, Wadata Rice Mill area, Gyado Villa on Gboko road, Welfare Quarters, Benue State University community, New Kanshio village, among others.

At Wurukum market and Pleasure Travel garage, the situation was not different, as shop owners were seen helplessly trying to push water out of their apartments to no avail. It was the same development at Wadata rice mill, where rice stored in many shops, were seen soaked and floating on water. At Idye village, almost the entire community was submerged into the flood.

While speaking with some of the affected residents in Idye, they lamented the lukewarm attitude of government in addressing the perennial challenge of flood in the area.

One of them, John Tavershima, attributed the problem to non-construction of the major drainage that spans from Wurukum through Idye to Assembly quarters, which was awarded to an illustrious son of the state but now abandoned. He called on the government to quickly build the drainage to avert the sufferings its citizens.

Monitoring the havoc caused by the deluge, the Commissioner for Land, Survey and Solid Minerals, Mr. Bernard Unenge and his counterpart at Water Resources and Environment, Mr. Joseph Utsev, described the damaged as immense.

Ustev said the ministry needs adequate funds to mitigate the situation adding that the disaster was caused as a result of blocked drainage, lack of well-constructed drainage in some areas and the prolonged downpour.