Communities in Taraba State are on the edge as early signs point to another destructive flood season, with four people already confirmed dead in the past two weeks.
Three of the victims died in Gassol Local Government Area when a boat capsised while crossing the Namnai river on the Jalingo-Wukari highway.
In Jalingo, the state capital, torrential rainfall left several neighbourhoods submerged, leaving one dead last week.
The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency has listed Taraba among the states most vulnerable to severe flooding this year, prompting the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project to convene a strategic meeting with government agencies, development partners, and other stakeholders at the weekend.
Taraba ACReSAL’s Environmental Safeguard Officer, Dahiru Umar, told the forum that urgent action was needed to reduce the human and economic toll. He listed desilting of drainages, relocation of residents in high-risk zones, and enforcement of environmental regulations as top priorities.
“We can not stop the rains, but we can reduce the damage. The safety of lives and livelihoods is our priority,” Umar said.
He added that ACReSAL, supported by the World Bank, is collaborating with the state to identify flood-prone communities in seven local government areas for possible relocation before peak flooding.
The Taraba State Emergency Management Agency complements these efforts with safety measures, including the distribution of life jackets to riverine communities and mapping of vulnerable settlements.
SEMA officials further disclosed that public sensitisation campaigns are ongoing to warn residents about the dangers of building on flood plains and dumping waste in waterways.
Other measures agreed at the meeting included reinstating the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, creating designated dumpsites across local government areas, and strictly enforcing building regulations.
Despite the plans, some residents told Arewa PUNCH that the government needed to do more. They argued that awareness campaigns must reach rural areas where most casualties occur due to poor preparedness.
With the rainy season still in its early stages, ACReSAL and its partners say they are racing against time to avert what could be one of Taraba’s worst floods in years.
