Reprieve amidst fears for Abadam, Damasak farmers, fishermen
Amazingly, Abadam is famous for its key role in the agricultural sector of the state as it has numerous irrigation farmers who produce food crops, fishermen who supply fresh and dry fishe and herdsmen who produce cattle for meat, dairy as well as hides and skin for industrial leather works. Abadam is home to the […]
Amazingly, Abadam is famous for its key role in the agricultural sector of the state as it has numerous irrigation farmers who produce food crops, fishermen who supply fresh and dry fishe and herdsmen who produce cattle for meat, dairy as well as hides and skin for industrial leather works. Abadam is home to the famous Yau rice irrigation scheme, which used to be a key producer of rice in Nigeria.
In the recent past however, farmers were worried that water from the river Yobe which flows across many parts of the council from Gashua in Yobe State, recedes, and by that, their swamps for cultivation of rice, pepper, onions, vegetables become dry. At some times, the water over flows into their fadama farms around the river and rather than helping the crops to grow, their farms become flooded and crops destroyed.
By that threat seemed over now, following some steps taken by Hadeja Jamare- Kumadugu-Yobe Basin Trust Fund, an outfit to protect the environment and improve water flow for users to have greater access, which was set up in 2006 by six states: Borno, Plateau, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi and Yobe whose people numbering about 15 million, rely on the water from the basins for farming, fishing and cattle herding. About $124 million (N16 billion) is required for various projects especially to clear the channels of the Kumadugu- Yobe Basin, blocked by typha grass: locally called ‘Kachalla’ – a hedge plant with strapping roots that grow underneath the river or wetlands and covers the top of the water, preventing water flow. So far, about N1.7 billion has been released by the states and the federal government to the fund which has since been executing water related projects across the six states.
In Abadam, Borno State, for instance, a concrete dyke constructed by the Fund in Yituwa, a den of fadama farmers, near the Yobe river bank, traps water from the river and with a gate, expertly fixed, water flow can be controlled and released to farms in a systematic way such that there will be no flooding but watering of crops. Interestingly, the dyke was constructed in a manner that it does not prevent water flow to other channels but only diverts part of the water, apparently not to deny residents elsewhere from benefiting from the flow.
Alhaji Mele Kawu Mustapha, leader of fadama farmers in Yituwa, told Kanem Trust correspondent that in the past, water receded by December and made it impossible for flow into their farmlands but that is changed with the dyke. He was upbeat that tones of rice, wheat, onions, pepper and other vegetables would be produced year round by the farming community. He said that flooding which was a common threat to their farms was over now and for that, he was optimistic that more food would be produced for Borno and other parts of Nigeria.
The same view was shared by residents of Bulagana Chira (another place in Abadam) who contended that a concrete trapezoidal spillway, also constructed by the Trust Fund has helped in trapping water for numerous irrigation farmers as well as cattle herdsmen in the area.
Similarly, farmers in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar local government area, held close to the hearts, the benefits they expected to derive from a recently completed double cell control gate, also established by the Fund somewhere around the river to trap water for irrigation.
Experts however observed that the height of the concrete building holding the control gate seemed inadequate as water had covered it, hence there would be no access to control the gate- the water flow effectively, making the project to function fully as required.
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When contacted on the observation, the administrative secretary of the Hadeja-Jamare-Kumadugu-Yobe Basin Trust Fund, Dr. Hassan H. Bdliya said the fund would act swiftly and everything would be okay as soon as possible.
He said even though the project was described by some experts as one of the best put in place by the fund, observations were always welcomes to that modifications would be made. He said the fund had always been focused on quality control and it is for that a team comprising representatives of benefiting communities, consulting firm, staff of the Fund, representatives of Integrated Water Resources Management Committees from the six catchments states as well as those of partnering NGOs such as Wetland Development Initiative (WDI) independently supervise every project being carried out from commencement to completion and make observations that are effected with expert evaluation.
Our correspondent reports that while the farmers benefiting for the three projects reel out praises to the Fund, they complained that they were threatened by insufficient fertilizer as well as tractors to hire for tilling. The Borno State government only established fertilizer distribution committee weeks ago even as the rainy season is rounding up.
Beyond fertilizer, one fear that appeared prominent in the minds of virtually all the farmers is the proposed Kafin Zaki Dam project in Bauchi state which has attracted debates.
The farmers community had sometime back under the aegis of Mallam Fatori Multipurpose Cooperative Society (Malamfatori is the name of the headquarters of Abadam L.G.A) raised concern that the dam if constructed will spell doom for them.
In a position paper entitled: Impact of Constructing Kafin- Zaki upon the Communities of Kumadugu-Yobe Downstream Water Users, which was jointly signed by Alhaji Kyaria and Laminu Mustapha, chairman and secretary of the society respectively, the farmers had explained that the Kafin Zaki dam project is aimed at intercepting water which flows through River Dilimi in Jos, Plateau State, moving 30 kilometers East wards to Kafin Zaki and moving 600 kilometers also eastwards through Katagum and Jamare in Bauchi; Hadeja in Jigawa; Gonron, Nguru, Gashuwa, Geidam, Same Kanamma and Dama in Yobe and Damask, Joka, Duji Asaga, Gasharga, Faguwa, Jabulam, Yau Abadam, Mallam Fatori ( residence of the complainants), Kaniram and down to the lake chad all in Borno. It said that the residents of these communities in Jigawa, Yobe and Borno will be deprived of water for irrigation farming, fishing, cattle rearing and other domestic activities, maintaining that the residents are mostly dependent on agriculture for survival.
He cited that in Abadam local government area of Borno State alone, which is their own community, the proposed Kafin–Zaki dam would stop the annual production of over 80,000 tones of fresh/smoked fish and annual rearing of about 250,000 cattle and 300,000 sheep/goats which were only possible because of the water flow from river Dilimi in Jos down to the benefiting community in Borno.
While speaking with Kanem Trust days back, a representative of the farmers community in Damasak, Mobbar local government area, Ali Audu Damsak, a farmer and staff of the local government authority said the community plans to present its position on the report of an environmental impact assessment carried out by a committee set up by the federal government.
He however said that before a final decision is made on the matter, the farmers had since resorted to intensive prayers to seek spiritual help from God to scuttle plans for the Kafin Zaki dam project. Ali Audu Damasak even opened up to say that about N1,000,600 had so far been contributed and used to mobilize prayer warriors who had continually begged God to destabilize every step put in place to execute the dam project.
He said the Damasak and Abadam farmers community believe that unless the Kafin Zaki project is stopped, series of projects being carried out by the Trust Fund to ensure water flow; millions of bags of pepper, onions, wheat, rice and millions of fish and cattle produced by the farmers and distributed to all parts of Nigeria, will only form part of history to be recounted during discussions in future and that they insisted, “must never happen”.