Rainstorm kills 2, destroys 1,500 houses in Katsina

The Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), revealed that over 1,500 houses were affected by a rainstorm experienced on Monday.

SEMA’s spokesman, Umar Mohammed revealed that the rainstorm destroyed three local government areas.

Mr Mohammed also revealed that on Wednesday in Katsina that out of the 1,500 buildings, over 800 houses were affected in Faskari, 400 in Bindawa, and 300 in Sabuwa are the troubled areas included.

He also explained that in Bindawa, the heavy rain which lasted for almost five hours caused the death of two persons, saying that the agency was already looking at how to assist the victims.

The heavy rain, according to Peoples Newspaper, which started at about 10 a.m on Monday and stopped at about 4:00 p.m., forced many motorists to abandon their vehicles.

Some residents of the Katsina metropolis expressed worry over the flooding of some major streets due to the heavy rainfall.

Many motorists driving along the Kofar Kaura roundabout and some parts of the layout area of the metropolis was able to divert by using a single lane of the road to their various destinations.

One of the motorists, Muhammad Safana, described the situation as worrisome, saying that the situation could worsen if the heavy rain continued.

“As you have seen, the rain has caused flooding, which filled some major roads in the city, looking for a route to pass, and also some houses were affected,” said Mr Safana.

“As I was passing through the Tudun Katsira layout, some buildings were also affected due to the lack of proper drainage in the areas. Even those areas with the drainage are blocked by refuse, which obstructs the free flow of water during the rainy season,” he said.

Another motorist, Abubakar Sani called on the government to take immediate measures to prevent such incidents.

“I hope that following this incident, will serve as a reminder to the state government to take the action immediately, to avert future recurrence,” said Mr Sani said.