Goods estimated at over N200 million and more then 250 stall were destroyed in the popular Kantin Kwari market following heavy rain falls in Kano
The rain which fell on both Sunday and Monday affected the metropolitan city and flooded many areas.
On Monday alone, the rain fell for almost four non-stop in the early hours of the day fell taking over major roads and causing traffick gridlock.
The latest destruction in the Kantin Kwari Market has further aggravated to earners reports by the National Emergency Management Agency that nine people died and 6,417 houses and properties worth over N500 million had been destroyed by flood since the rainy season started.
The affected traders attributed part of their plight to indiscriminate building of shops in the market b the market management board, as well as the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority, the agency responsible for the layout and control of land use in all urban centres.
They denied that new constructions in the market were sitting on waterways, insisting that the traders’ improper disposal of waste was responsible for the flood.
According to textile dealers, developers blocked water ways by constructing shops on large waterways that enabled the free flow of water from and around the market, leaving only tiny drainage that cannot contain the heavy flow of water that is forced to flood shops.
One of the traders in the market, Dauda Abubakar, said, for the over seven years he has been selling this market, he has has never experienced a destruction related to flood like the latest one.
“I will say that the erection of barricades under the flyover is what contributed to this misfortune.
Gidan Gareji textile wares worth millions of naira were destroyed by the flood, Abdullahi Umar Danduna said, and also corroborated with Abubakar on the cause of the flood disaster.
“Here in Gidan Gareji, there are over 250 shops that have been affected by the disaster. I cannot specifically say the amount of wealth I lost to this recent flood.
“My 17 bales of white textile (shadda), each valued at N850,000 have been adversely affected. I have lost other less expensive materials too,” he lamented.
Managing Director of Kantin Kwari Market Management Board, Abba Muhammad Bello, sympathised with the traders, and counselled them to accept the disaster as the will of God while assuring engagement with government agencies on the issue.
He said “since the rainy season began, there has been nothing like this, so you can’t ask God not to test whoever he wishes.
“Since my assumption of office as MD of this market, I never knew of any building erected or drainage blocked. I can’t show or tell you that. People are just insinuating that,” he said.
“Maybe the construction work outside may be the cause, but we know it’s temporary. Whatever is done is for the benefit of the people. All our drainages are in order,” he insisted.
Director, Engineering, at KNUPDA, Nuruddeen Ahmad, who spoke on behalf of the managing director, Suleiman Abdulwahab, accused the traders for poor sanitation.
“The marketers are the custodians of the environment, but they don’t take care of their places. No proper dumping of refuse which, of course, will block waterways. If you see what we took out of the market today (Saturday), it will surprise you.
“We have, in collaboration with the state Ministry of Environment, started evacuating refuse from the market which the traders were not disposing of well,” he said.
