Several areas of Lafia metropolis, including Unguwar Nungu, Millionaires Quarters and Bukan Sidi, were ravaged by flooding on Thursday following an early morning downpour.

The rainfall, which started around 4:00 a.m. and lasted until about 10:00 a.m., forced some residents to evacuate their homes for safety as water from blocked gutters overflowed into compounds.

Cheke Emmanuel, one of the victims in Unguwar Nungu, said the flood pulled down fences and a building and destroyed valuables in several homes.

“Water from the main gutter found its way into people’s compounds, pulling down some fences and a building. It also destroyed valuables in homes and created a lot of panic at the time of the flood,” he said.

He said he could not immediately quantify the extent of the damage, adding that many residents were seen bringing soaked valuables out of their homes.

“Many homes now, they are bringing out their valuables that were soaked. You can see people around the street in clusters discussing the ravages of the flood,” Emmanuel added.

He noted that no life was lost in the incident.

“The source of it must be blamed on lack of drainages around that area and lack of construction of these two streets,” he said.

According to him, Ember A and Ember B streets, which lead to the annex of the Federal University Teaching Hospital, are in poor condition and require urgent government attention.

“I think the government will need to act fast, because if this kind of rain continues like the one today, it will cause a lot of harm in the area.

“The government needs to address the challenges, to construct those streets so that water can flow into the channel, to the right, instead of penetrating into homes,” he warned.

Residents are appealing to the Nasarawa State Government to urgently intervene to prevent a recurrence.

The Nasarawa State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Princess Dr Margaret Elayo, cautioned residents against constructing buildings on water channels and urged households in flood-prone areas to temporarily relocate to safer locations.

Dr Elayo gave the warning during an inspection of flood-affected areas in Lafia.

She said the government had ordered the temporary closure of Sandaji Hotel for non-compliance with environmental standards, adding that swift action was necessary to address ecological degradation contributing to the flooding.

The commissioner attributed the flooding to depleted underground water sources, obstructed water channels caused by refuse, and poor urban drainage systems.

She noted that the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had identified Lafia and Doma Local Government Areas, as well as parts of the state, as likely to experience severe flooding.

According to her, indiscriminate waste disposal and aggressive land reclamation, which have led to the loss of ponds and open spaces, had worsened the situation.

She described the recent torrential rains as having devastating impacts on Lafia and surrounding areas and stressed the need for attitudinal change towards the environment.

“The realities of climate change demand preventive measures,” Dr Elayo said, calling on residents to support government efforts to safeguard lives and property during the rainy season. (Daily Trust)