Malam Suleiman Isah, a respected community elder in Katsina town, still shudders as he recalls the once-common sight of lifeless bodies being carried away by the floodwaters in town.
Every rainy season, streets in many parts of the bustling towns of Katsina and Jibia would become rivers and quickly overflow, causing death and destruction worth millions of Naira due to flooding because of non-existent or badly constructed drains, or drains choked by rubbish.
Malam Suleiman Isah, the Head of the Unguwar Ambassador Ward, said that his Ward used to receive at least 15 dead bodies and countless animals in flood waters, every year, causing fear and grief in the community.
Also, every year, farmers in his Ward lost farm produce worth over 500 million Naira (~USD 300,000) while the community as a whole suffered over 1 billion Naira (~USD 600,000) worth of losses to houses and other properties.
Similar stories had unfolded in other areas in Katsina and Jibia towns: Kofar Sauri, Kofar Durbi, Kofar Marusa, Sabuwar Unguwa/Gadar Nayalli and Tudun Matawalle. According to Aliyu Ibrahim Lara of Kofar Durbi, 700 farmers lost a total of N1,750,000,000 (~USD 1 million) worth of farm produce every year for the last ten years due to flooding along Kofar Durbi – Kafar Sauri river.
The Ward Head of Sabuwar Unguwa, Malam Danjuma, stated that his community lost a pregnant woman and a child in flood waters a year ago.
ACReSAL
The Katsina State Project Management Unit (SPMU) of the World Bank supported Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project of the Government of Nigeria, noted that a predecessor project, the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) had designed and implemented Phase I of the two towns’ stormwater drainage.
But, death and devastation had not been eliminated. The Katsina SPMU and the State Government therefore proposed Phase 2 to address flooding, protect lives and property and maximize economic opportunities within and around the affected areas. Accordingly, in November 2023, ACReSAL began a 16-month intervention in Katsina and Jibia towns, ending by May 2025. Katsina Town Stormwater Drainage Management covers over 9 kilometres, recovers 2,050 hectares, and benefits 1.5 million people directly and indirectly (60% female). Riverbank Protection in Jibia recovers 1,518 hectares, benefits 0.87 million people (60% female).
The Impact
Though, the project is not yet complete, the impacts were clearly visible in the 2024 rainy season: Not a single death, not a single house destroyed and no agricultural losses due to floods in the targeted areas in either Katsina or Jibia towns. Malam Suleiman Isah, the Head of Unguwar Ambassador Ward, is deeply thankful because people in his Ward can now live without the constant fear of floods.
Today, Aisha Adamu, a female vegetable farmer in Kofar Durbi is hopeful. Where once she despaired that she would have to stop cultivating her flood and erosion ravaged farmland, she hopes to make about 2 million Naira (~USD 1,200) this year when she harvests her vegetables and other crops. The new drains have not only saved lives but have also restored dignity and hope to a community that once lived in the shadow of tragedy.
