As parts of measures to expand its capacity and curb perennial flooding in the Kaduna State, the state government on Friday, 29 August, 2025 commenced the dredging of 4,000 metres of River Kaduna.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs Linda Yakubu,who made this disclosure on Friday, said the exercise would cover Barnawa, Living Faith axis and other flood-prone areas along the river.
According to Yakubu, the state has procured a swamp buggy, approved by Gov. Uba Sani, to carry out the dredging as part of measures to prevent displacement of residents and destruction of property.
While recalling that that the swamp buggy was inaugurated earlier this year, marking the state’s first independent flood-control intervention, the permsec said a similar dredging exercise was completed around Airport Road, Kutungari, in June to ease water flow and protect homes and investments in the area.
Yakubu, also disclosed that tributaries emptying into River Kaduna would also be cleared, , just as she also added that the government’s long-term goal was to improve the river’s carrying capacity.
She also cautioned residents against dumping refuse into waterways, warning that mobile courts would sanction offenders when monthly sanitation would resume in October.
The Assistant Chief Disaster Risk Reduction Officer at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs Ikramat Muazu, said the dredging was a vital preventive action against flooding.
Muazu, who said that preventive measures were cheaper and safer than emergency responses, added that proactive steps, such as dredging, would save lives and reduce government spending on relief measures.
