Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom has asked the federal government to dredge the Rivers Benue and Katsina-Ala immediately as part of measures to alleviate the nation’s ongoing floods.
The governor made the suggestion yesterday when he met with Prof. Emmanuel Adanu, the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Flood and Disaster Management and his delegation in Makurdi.
Ortom applauded the federal government for forming the group comprising renowned experts to manage flood disasters around the nation, stressing that it was a positive step.
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He however emphasized that dredging the Benue and Katsina-Ala rivers would go a long way toward mitigating the flood crisis for Benue State, stating that the issue will persist as long as the river remained undredged.
Ortom recalled how a contract for the dredging of the River Benue approved by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration was abandoned by the contractor, adding that its status needed to be looked into.
While commending the federal government for setting up the committee with renowned professionals for the management of flood disasters in the country, he said, for us in Benue State, the greatest mileage to mitigate the flood disaster will be to dredge Rivers Benue and Katsina-Ala. As long as the river is not dredged, we will continue to have this problem.”
Story was adapted from Thisday.
