NIGERIA: Thousands of people are stranded as flooding in central Nigeria cuts a major north-south highway
Record ID:
235779
NIGERIA: Thousands of people are stranded as flooding in central Nigeria cuts a major north-south highway
- Title: NIGERIA: Thousands of people are stranded as flooding in central Nigeria cuts a major north-south highway
- Date: 26th September 2012
- Summary: KOGI, NIGERIA (SEPTEMBER 25, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FLOODED SECTION OF THE HIGHWAY WITH VEHICLES STRANDED ON BOTH SIDES VARIOUS OF FEDERAL ROAD SAFETY PERSONNEL PREPARING TO WORK IN THE WATER (SOUNDBITE) (English) HASSAN DEI, OFFICER OF THE FEDERAL ROAD SAFETY CORPS, LOKOJA, SAYING: "We decided to block this road in order to save lives and property, as you can see, the water has entered the road so there is no way for vehicles to be moving so we have to block that road primarily so that people, lives, properties will be saved." VARIOUS OF SMALL VEHICLES BEING FERRIED ACROSS IN BARGES VARIOUS OF STRANDED VEHICLES VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS STRANDED IN VEHICLES (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRANCIS IDOKO, DRIVER, SAYING: "The seriousness of the water damage is very, very much because there are some market women here (traders) who are going to Abuja with their goods, they have lots of damages and we also have wasted some days here; it is a lot of damage to us, we have lots of damages." VARIOUS OF BANANAS AND PLANTAINS IN BUSES VARIOUS OF FRUITS IN A VAN VEHICLES IN LINE VARIOUS OF STRANDED PASSENGERS (SOUNDBITE) (Pidgin English) MARKET TRADER FROM EDO (SOUTHERN NIGERIA) STATE, JOAN ALIEMI, SAYING: "We were going to Abuja only to get here and discover that water has taken over the road and we didn't see anywhere to pass. We have been here now for four days and to eat is really a problem, ordinary sachet of water is 20 naira. That is how everything here is expensive because of the water problem." VARIOUS OF FOOD AND OTHER ITEMS BEING SOLD VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CROSSING IN CANOES VARIOUS OF VEHICLES IN WATER VARIOUS OF PETROL STATION IN WATER PETROL TANKER IN WATER
- Embargoed: 11th October 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Disasters,Nature / Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA10GR7ASSHRNNAWYZBWMQEBHXS
- Story Text: Thousands of Nigerians remained stranded on Tuesday (September 25) on the main arterial route linking the South and North.
The impact of the floods in central Nigeria, which has caused water levels to increase in the past few weeks has extended to the highways cutting off the main means of transportation.
The floods have caused terrible gridlock on the road and left many stranded for days with only a couple of heavy duty trucks braving their way to the other side.
The country's Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is trying to open an alternative route for passengers, but progress has been slow.
The road, plied by commuters on a daily basis has been shut by the FRSC due to safety concerns.
The FRSC officer in charge of Lokoja (Kogi's capital) district defended the decision.
"We decided to block this road in order to save lives and property, as you can see, the water has entered the road so there is no way for vehicles to be moving so we have to block that road primarily so that people, lives, properties will be saved," Hassan Dei said.
Some local traders have taken full advantage of commuters' predicament, ramping up food and water prices. Some are charging 10,000 naira, the equivalent of 64 USD, to ferry small vehicles across the floodwaters.
One stranded truck driver said the last few days had been a nightmare.
"The seriousness of the water damage is very, very much because there are some market women here (traders) who are going to Abuja with their goods, they have lots of damages and we also have wasted some days here; it is a lot of damage to us, we have lots of damages," Francis Idoko said.
The disruption to the flow of commodities and food between north and south has hit businesses hard.
"We were going to Abuja only to get here and discover that water has taken over the road and we didn't see anywhere to pass, we have been here now for four days and to eat is really a problem, ordinary sachet of water is 20 naira (13 cents), that is how everything here is expensive because of the water problem," complained Joan Liemi, a market trader from Edo (Southern Nigeria) state.
The floods are among the worst in recent decades, and have left thousands homeless, destroyed houses and farmlands across several states, which has led the government to set up relief camps in the affected areas.
Nigeria, which has a rainy season from May to September suffers from seasonal flash floods, which are sometimes lethal, especially in rural areas or over-crowded slums where drainage is poor or non-existent. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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