From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Residents of Maiduguri, Borno State, have started clean-up of their homes, shops and business offices devastated by flood.
Some affected residents engaged the services of private companies and young men to drain water from flooded streets and their homes as water gradually recede days after the disaster.
“We paid between N20,000 to N50,000 to clean our houses. We’re engaging some young men and a small cleaning company. But we still need to do more cleaning because of the dirt and debris brought to our homes by the flood,” a 60-year-old Ibrahim Saleh, said yesterday.
Daily Sun observed that offensive odour pervaded most of the flooded areas. Residents blamed collapsed sewage pits (soak-away) which led to the flow of toxic waste into the water for the stench. Some livestocks were also caught in the floods as owners fled homes, causing deaths of animals
Residents have expressed concern over health risks and urged the government to act quickly to avert outbreak of diseases.
“We may be dealing with a disease outbreak soon because sanitation of Maiduguri is already compromised. Government has not started any comprehensive clean up. Only affected persons are clearing and fumigating their houses,” a resident and public health worker with an international organisation told Daily Sun on condition of anonymity.
Commissioner of Information, Prof. Usman Tar, allayed the fear of residents, saying the state was prepared for response should there be any health emergency
He also said government has started cleaning state-owned public infrastructure while individuals will fumigate their homes with fund support from the state government.
As at yesterday, many houses, offices and business centers were still flooded and inaccessible. The state secretariat near the Zoological Garden at the city centre remained submerged and inaccesible.
Major roads initially cut off by the massive floods have been opened for use while the state sanitation workers clear the roads of debris
