[Mhiz Rebecca]

An early morning downpour in Maiduguri on Saturday flooded many
areas and residents found it very difficult to come out of their homes.
Affected areas included Jajeri, Ummarari, Ngarnam, Simari, London-
Ciki, Customs, Dala, Gomari Airport, as well as Gomari Costain,
Damboa road, Ruwan-Zafi.
Most access roads in the areas have been submerged, making it
difficult for passage in and out of affected areas. Malam Bukar Wasala, a resident of Ruwan-Zafi, said that his house
had been flooded. Wasala said, “the rain started gradually around 4.30 a.m as we were preparing for the early morning prayers but by 5.30 a.m., my house was already flooded, we had to evacuate our things to a friend’s
place for safety.”
He added that the problem of flooding had been a recurring event in
the area as there was no proper drains “and residents dump refuse
anyhow they like.
“We face the problem of flooding every year in this area; sometimes;
we have to evacuate our belongings to other places pending when the
rains will stop before coming back.
“Our basic problem is the lack of drainage system in the area.”
Malam Garba Muhammad, a resident of Ummarari, said “the problem
is that our area is not a government planned residential area; most
people build their homes anywhere they wanted.
“Some of these houses are built on water channels, thereby blocking
water passage.”