Three people have been killed in a flood in Lafia, Nassarawa state. The victims – two women and a teenage boy were on their way back from a vigil when they were swept by the current of an overflowing river and drowned in the process.
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The incident occurred in Amber River located along Kilema Road, Lafia.
There had been an heavy downpour that lasted for hours causing the river to overflow.
The state governor, Abdulahi Sule visited the site of the incident and pledged to resolve the environmental challenges in the area.
He alighted three steps to be taken by the government in order to avert future floods that can lead to loss of lives and properties which include expansion of water channels, road construction, and river dredging, among others.
Governor Sule said, “The one thing that has to be done is increase the length of the area that will allow the water to pass, so we would extend the bridge so that we can have more water passing.”
“Number two is to ensure that we dredge this particular area of the river to allow for more space, but the biggest problem we have which we will have to talk to our people is that most of the waste from Lafia is taking over the place and causing this blockage.”
The governor pleaded with the residents to desist from the dumping of waste into the river and all waterways in the area.
“It is the blockage that is the cause of this problem. We have to find a way to avoid that.”
“And for this one, we would find a solution, and then we would do the bigger work; that is why we introduced this monthly sanitation so that we can reduce such problems,” he stated.