Onyebuchi Ezigbo And Mark Odoguje
5 August 2008
Lagos — Dutse is a sprawling suburb in Bwari Area Council, under the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Abuja. The town started as an off-shoot of the main city centre where most lower cadre civil servants, artisans, construction workers and some traders found cheaper abode as most of them could hardly afford the high cost of accommodation in the city area. At the on-set, the place was small and the people found it easy to cope with improvised infrastructure they could make out for themselves.
There was no planned structure or access roads, neither were there government facilities like water supply, drainage and road network. Dutse, Kubwa and Maraba-Nyanya became the only available areas to absorb the large influx of people into the capital city. Yet the town continued to grow and expand with more and more inhabitants trooping into the town. However, with the unprecedented demolition exercise that former Minister of FCT Mallam el-Rufai carried out on satellite towns like Idu-Karmo, Lugbe and all the other settlements along the airport, Dutse became one of the alternative places for refuges fleeing these demolished neighbourhoods.
The influx of more settlers into the town made matters worse as every available space was occupied with no provision for access roads or drainage facilities. Some of the buildings do not even have basic living convenience. There is no place for refuse disposal while every available space became a point of refuse discharge. Worst still the entire town could hardly boost of a standard hospital or healthcare centre that would carter for the immediate health needs of the population.
The situation in Dutse aptly typifies the horrible state of affairs in most slum settlements within the capital territory and indeed what obtains in other satellite towns around the city where the health and survival of residents are under frequent threat of flood disaster or disease epidemic.
One could imagine the enormous havoc a flood occurrence could cause the inhabitants, as has been the fate of Dutse community that was recently thrown into an early morning nightmare as a result heavy flooding that almost brought activities in the area to a stand-still. The incident, which took place last month, saw most residents of Dutse battling to rescue their properties and loved ones from the rampaging flood.
Most of the residents were caught napping by the flood. They had no fore knowledge of the magnitude of the disaster that was lurking around the corner, when suddenly a heavy down pour came and swept away many houses and leaving in its wake trail of woos and agony. At least not less than twenty houses were sub-merged by flood in Duste-Alaji following a heavy downpour that brought the activities of the suburb town to a standstill on Wednesday.
The flood which has been an annual occurrence in the area raked its worse havoc ever as most parts of the community were overtaken by water, destroying houses and properties worth millions of naira and rendering the occupants homeless.
Families asleep the preceding night woke up to find themselves and their properties stranded inside the flood. The affected occupants struggled in vain to rescue their children and properties from the rampaging flood. Some of the families who spoke to THISDAY complain that they were still looking for the where about of their two little children few days after the rampaging flood.
The incident caused serious traffic jam as most of the makeshift access roads were clustered by frustrated motorist. Most motorists were trapped as their cars meander through the slum. Motorcyclists in their usual way tried to have access through the bush paths, but were unable as they easily got their wheels wedged in the muddy paths. Many in trying to beat the traffic took to trekking as the last option.
It was a frustrating and agonising moment for the residents as they recount last week. Some of them, who spoke to THISDAY, described the incident as terrible and frustrating. "We have never seen this kind of flooding before. We can't even enter inside our houses again," one of the victims said. Another victim lamented: "I lost everything to the flood, my house, my properties, but I still thank God". A man also claimed to have lost the sun of N100, 000 to the flood. The amount, which he said, he kept in the house the previous night in a bag and woke up to discover that the flood had already swept the bag alongside some of his electronics.
Prince Charles Iwuajuka, a youth corp member serving in the area and who was a victim also told THISDAY his experience. "It was a very bad experience. It began at 3am until late in the evening. Everywhere was flooded. Three houses near the house I live fell, while some others were submerged. My room was filled up with water, all my properties destroyed. I spent all day scooping water from my room. Government should immediately help to construct adequate drainages, else human lives are endangered," he emphasised.
Another resident, Mr. Mustapha Bello, who said he has lived in the area for over half a decade said "I just heard a noise, and it was my neighbour's fence that fell into my house. Immediately I came into the sitting room to look at what happened, I returned and saw my room broken, with water everywhere, sweeping away my television, my bags, and my handsets. In short everything. I lost N45, 000.00. Government has not helped us here in any way to avert this situation. We are just the only ones trying to build drainages for ourselves. To get all I have lost now not even one million will do"
The area has over the years suffered from serious lack of infrastructures, no access roads, structures are not well planned, absence of drainages largely owing to negligence from the government. The situation at the moment may just be the tip of an iceberg. If no action is taken to improve the situation,
The impact was visibly noticeable all over the town with the economic activities of the day being disrupted. Many were forced to stay back at home and rather than going about their commercial activities, they spent the day to tidy up what remained their homes. For some who made attempt to go to work, it was disappointment and frustration as the flooded exit points made vehicular traffic unbearable. While some went back homes at the detriment of their jobs and business, others spent the early hours of the day on the road, reporting late to work. Many commercial vehicle owners and motorcyclists took the advantage of the situation to increase transportation fare.
The flooding was so terrible that in the midst of the damages and lost of properties, many people had no where to lay their heads thinking, on the possibilities and help which might not even come. For many of the victims who may not have steady source of income, to get the destroyed structure back, would have to have to look for alternative accommodation that is even there in the first place.
For some who are now tenants or perhaps squatting with friends or neighbours would be living at the mercy of circumstance. But the question they continue to ponder is: when and how would they pick the pieces of their lives again?
It will be an understatement to say that many can never sleep with their two eyes closed now, as any sign of rainfall could be best imagined than experienced. With the previous flood, most houses are soaked down to their foundation, which is very dangerous. They basically would live at the mercy of the rains. These already soaked walls could collapse at any moment. For those with choice, their situation at best would be to move and take in the neighbourhood at any instance of down poor. But for those who do not, they keep alert as they could envisage calamity even at the slightest sign of the rains.
Other negative impact of the flood is the health of the community. A lot of lives are at risk. With the increase in mosquitoes as a result of stagnant water, malaria would be on the increase. Think about the risk that this would pose on the community. This will equally pose a serious challenge to the government even when there is an effort to combat and eradicate malaria in Africa.
The flood also affected electricity supply to most parts of the slums as it brought down electric poles. Most of the electricity poles were still down and unattended when THISDAY visited the community last week. The situation has equally affected small scale business activities. Artisans like welders, carpenters, technicians and barbing saloon operators are not finding it easy with the cost of an alternative source of power supply. Though the community has suffered absence of power supply, the recent havoc no doubt heightened their pain.
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