Jigawa Floods: Pictures and tori of how water destroy houses, farms, cut off communities and cause serious damage

Mallama Habiba in front of her farm wey water destroy

BBC

Mallama Habiba Sani wey dey stay Magarya town for Jigawa northwestern Nigeria tell BBC say she and 14 oda family members no get wetin to eat after di ‘worst’ flooding destroy di only farm wey dem dey survive on.

Di 50 year old woman say dis na di worst flooding wey don happun to dia town as no family wey no lost something either person, house or farmland.

“For 50 years wey dem born me dis na di worst case of flooding wey we don experience, dis farm wey u dey see sov (she point am) na di only one wey we get and na 15 of us dey chop from am but flood don destroy am and to eat now na problem.” She tok.

She lost two of her relatives for Marke

BBC
She lost two relatives

Deaths and destruction

Di floods wey hit Magarya town na about one week of rains.

Over 70 houses destroy and over 100 farms naim water don carry go for Magarya and di neighbour Gamafo town.

Magarya town flood

BBC
Ova 70 houses and 100 farms na im floods destroy for Magarya and Gamafo

Di only hospital for Magarya community too, water carry am go.

Community pipo tell BBC Pidgin Mansur Abubakar say five pipo die as dem no fit get medical care.

Di hospital for di town dey inside water

BBC
Di hospital for di town dey inside water wey make sick pipo suffer wella, residents say some don even die because of lack of medical helep

According to Jigawa State emergency management agency SEMA, at least 33 pipo don die for di state as a result of di one in a kind floods.

But di agency tell BBC say di number even fit pass dat one as no be all di data dem get as pipo no dey report deaths.

For Magarya community, at least five pipo die as dem no fit get medical care.

Magarya, Gamafo communities

BBC

‘Community cut off from di world’

Di floods don cut off Magarya, Gamafo communities from di rest of di world.

Pipo no fit move freely as water don take over.

Local goment send canoes to help di villagers to move around but na only four canoes for thousands of pipo for di two towns and four villages around.

Over 70 houses and farms destroy for Magarya town, Gamafo

BBC
Over 70 houses and farms destroy for Magarya town, Gamafo

“Anoda tin be say to comot from our village now na by canoe as di road don spoil and no hospital because water full everywhere so medical pipo no fit work.”

Anoda resident of the town Sani Magarya yan say im pikin almost die because e reach two hours before e get canoe wey carry am comot from di town to one hospital for Kafin Hausa.

Sani Magarya say e almost lose im pikin because e wait two hours for canoe

BBC
Sani Magarya say e almost lose im pikin because e wait two hours for canoe

“Since dis flooding na only three canoes dey serve Magarya town, Gamafo and some nearby villages so u can imagine di wait for any pesin wey want comot.”

“My pikin dey hospital at di moment na yesterday we carry am go after two hour wait. E dey hospital for Kafin Hausa.”

Many residents wey BBC tok to say all dia rice, millet and maize wey dey farm don destroy, Sani Abu say e lose over N1m from the floods for im farms.

Mallama Habiba say she dey beg goment to helep dem find permanent solution as di flooding dey happun after every year or two even though dis year own worst pass.

Mallama Habiba in front of her farm wey water destroy

BBC
Mallama Habiba in front of her farm wey water destroy

Goment efforts

Representative of Auyo local government wey Magarya and Gamafo towns dey under Habu Isa say dem dey try helep di pipo with food everyday and dem don bring new canoe to make am four now.

“Di flooding wey happun to our pipo for Magarya, Gamafo and nearby villages dey very sad but as goment we dey try helep as best as we can, dis pipo no get food so everyday we dey send food to dem and also we don buy new canoe give dem to make am four now.”