River Gurara Overflows, Farms and Fish Ponds Swept Away

By Our Correspondent

Heavy floods have swept through Muye and neighbouring communities in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State, submerging homes, destroying fish ponds and wiping out vast farmlands in the affected areas.

The disaster reportedly occurred after torrential rainfall caused the River Gurara to overflow its banks, throwing families and farmers into sudden distress.
The Etsu Muye, Alhaji Salihu Muhammadu, disclosed this while inspecting the progress of work on the construction of a water control wall by the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), valued at N700 million.
He said several fish ponds and farmlands that provide livelihoods for residents had been filled with sand following the heavy downpour.
According to him, “Even our market has been taken over by the water. The roads connecting communities have also been cut off. We are calling on the government and the contractor to complete the construction of the water control wall before more damage is done to the communities.”
With concerns mounting over the fast-approaching August rains, the monarch expressed worry over the slow pace of construction, warning that the encroaching river continues to pose a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of entire communities.
In response, the Managing Director of N-HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, who was represented by the Director of Finance and Administration, Haruna Jimoh Gabi, said funds had already been released to the contractors. He, however, attributed the delays to technical hitches.
Also speaking during the inspection, Hon. Abdullahi Mahmud, the lawmaker representing Agaie/Lapai Federal Constituency, criticised the slow pace of the construction work.
He said, “The pace of construction is not encouraging. There is a need to complete the construction of this water control embankment on time to save communities from further disaster.”