How Climate Change Leaves Women and Children Anguished as Victims of Flooding in Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos Communities in Jos
By: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman
In the heart of Nigeria, the communities of Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos in Jos have faced an increasing and devastating threat from the consequences of climate change.
As torrential rains become more frequent and intense every year, these communities are experiencing more severe flooding than ever before, leaving the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, in anguish.
Picture of Rikkos Community during the Flood Photo Credit: Mariya Shuaibu
Picture of Anguwan Rogo Community Photo Credit: Mariya Shuaibu
Rikkos and Anguwan Rogo Communities
Jos is the capital and epicenter of Plateau State. Rikkos and Anguwan Rogo communities are both situated in the city of Jos North in different locations linked by one river that flows from Rikkos down to Bauchi road to Anguwan Rogo and flows to Naraguta Community upwards.
These two areas among other areas, witnessed and suffered several severe flooding over the years in the history of Jos, leaving them the dwellers of the areas especially, women and children in anguished, as its carried some of their children away, washed away and destroyed their homes and millions properties. These two communities are known to be Muslims dominated areas in Jos.
The Unwelcome Guest – The Flood Caused by Climate Change
Climate change refers to long-term changes in the Earth’s average temperature and weather patterns. It is primarily driven by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), largely due to human activities like the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.
One of the many consequences of climate change is an increased in the frequency and severity of flooding events and it’s contribute to the flooding through: rising temperatures, increased precipitation, melting Ice and glaciers, changing weather patterns, sea-level rise, erosion and loss of natural barriers, increased river flooding.
However, climate change does not cause flooding in isolation, it interacts with other factors like local topography, urban development, and land use planning to determine the specific impacts of flooding in a particular area.
Flooding can result in significant damage to infrastructure, loss of life, and disruption to communities, making it a critical issue to address in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Over the years, this climate change has crept into people’s lives. Longer and more intense rainy seasons led to erratic weather patterns and increased the chances of flash floods. The people of Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos had no choice but to adapt to these new environmental challenges. Every year, they experience severe floods.
A Battle against Nature: The Flood
Once known for its gentle climate and lush landscapes, Jos has increasingly experienced erratic weather patterns in recent years. Unpredictable rainfall, extreme weather events, and rising temperatures have left the city vulnerable to the wrath of climate change. But it is the annual flooding that has wreaked the most havoc.
The communities of Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos are located in low-lying areas, which makes them particularly susceptible to flooding. During the rainy season, the rivers that meander through these neighborhoods often burst their banks, inundating homes, and destroying livelihoods. These floods are not merely natural disasters; they are the result of global warming-induced changes in weather patterns and deforestation.
The Cause of the Flood
Research shows that climate change contributes to the increased flooding events by causing more intense and frequent rainfall, rising sea levels, and changes in weather patterns.
Although flooding is a natural disaster that occurs when water covers land usually dry caused by various factors, both natural and human-induced such as overflow of water bodies: like rivers, lakes, oceans, heavy rainfall, snowmelt, storm surges, dam or levee failures, urbanization and poor drainage and improper disposal of waste in the environs, it causes a lot of damages such as loss of lives and destruction of properties.
Nurudeen Musa, an official of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), North Central Zone said people’s attitude is one of the things that caused flooding in the environment.
“One of the major problem that caused flooding is our attitudes towards our environment. First, people built houses without taken so many things into consideration like constructing proper drainages before building a house. Another thing is that people built houses on a water way which is not supposed and turning drainages into a dust bin. So these are the major attitudes that caused flooding in most environments.”
To confirm what really caused the recent and previous floods in those two communities, the community leader of Rikkos Community, Alhaji Inuwa Adam noted that the poor drainages in Rikkos community were the major cause of the flood occurrence in the area
“The poor drainages of this area is what is causing the flood and it occurs every year, entering our house, carrying our people (especially women and children because they are the ones always at home) and destroying our properties.”
Picture of poor drainage causing flood in Rikkos Community Photo Credit: Mariya Shuaibu
Picture of a House filled with water as a result of Flood in Anguwan Rogo
Locals of the two communities attributed the flood to the frequent disposal of waste to the nearby streams, drainages and the surroundings.
However, some neighboring residents said people have experience the flood because they built on the water ways.
Nurudeen further explained that the agency is into awareness campaign
“We are into awareness campaign, sensitizing people about what disaster is and its consequences because basic responsibility is to enlighten and educate people about the consequences of flooding so as to mitigate the impact of a disaster or to avoid the disaster in totality”
He therefore urges the residents of those areas, as well as those residing by the riverside, to seek alternative locations that are not flood-prone and relocate there to prevent future loss of lives and properties.
Women and Children – The Most Vulnerable
Picture of vulnerable children affected by the flood in Rikkos Community
As the effects of climate change intensified, women and children in these communities became the most vulnerable to flooding’s devastating impact. These vulnerable groups often found themselves without the resources or opportunities to escape the ravages of the rising waters.
The women and children of Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos bear the brunt of this ongoing environmental crisis. Many families depend on petty trading for their livelihoods, which are severely affected by the flooding and the children, already facing difficulties in acquiring education and healthcare, find their futures increasingly uncertain.
The women, often the pillars of these communities, work tirelessly to support their families. However, they are also the ones who suffer the most. It is the women who must carry their children through the rising waters, searching for safety. They must salvage whatever they can from their submerged homes and strive to rebuild their lives year after year.
According to Nurudeen NEMA official, noted that women and children are the most vulnerable in terms of flooding and other Climate challenges.
Picture of the NEMA Official at Jos North Central Zone
“In any disaster, women and children are the most vulnerable especially during the floods because they are the weaker sex and cannot not escape disaster like flooding, they need someone to move them away and saved during flooding”
Hauwa, the domicile of Anguwan Rogo explained how the flood affects her as a child.
Picture of 15 year old, Hauwa Aliyu Muhammad
“I am also a victim of the flood because it entered and destroyed my room and also contaminated our water to the extent that I and my siblings had to be admitted to a hospital and stopped going to school.
“it was a terrible disaster we suffered from every year, I don’t even want raining season to come.”
The Mother’s Struggle during the Flood
Mothers are always the ones at home, left to take care of the children and look after the house which is why they suffered a lot from the flood.
Malama Zainab Lawal is a mother and grandmother of many children living in Anguwan Rogo Community. She had always been the pillar and support to her family. Zainab recounts her experience during the floods and how she struggled to escaped with her children during the flooding.
Picture of the Prime Victim, Zainab Lawal in Anguwan Rogo
“The recent Rikkos flooding has really affected us. I lost my 15-year-old daughter as a result of the flood although I struggled and escaped with my other little children. It also destroyed our house and contaminated our well water, leaving us ill for a while even after we came back from the hospital. It was really a terrible experience for me.”
Maryam Muhammad, a domicile of Rikkos Community, lamented how the flood put her in a terrible condition.
“Flood has put me in a terrible condition, I don’t even want to talk about it because I know it is a trial from God and I accepted it. It has really affected me and my entire family including the members of my community. It entered my house and destroyed some of our rooms that we had to camp in one government school close to us here. We all fall sick with my children after the flood and we stay in the hospital for treatment for a while. Up to now, they are suffering from fever. Despite all this, the government is yet to do something about it. We can’t not even fix our rooms that got destroyed by the flood neither can we even move from here because my husband is very poor and the petty trading I am managing barely feed us, we are really suffering.”
The Impacts of the Flood on the Rikkos and Anguwan Rogo Communities
Research shows that Jos and its environs suffers a lot from flood for more than a decade now. This is because it occurs every single year, carrying a people away especially, women and children, washing away and destroying houses, mosques, schools, shops and other properties.
For instance, in 2011, the residents of Jos especially, those living in Tudun O.C and Anguwan Mai Damisa in Rikkos Community and Anguwan Rogo Community suffered from severe flooding that caused so many loss of lives, constituted mostly, women and children.
According to BBC reports in 2012, 39 people in the above communities lost their lives out of which women and children have the highest number in 2012 aside from the huge destructions of properties and the same experience happened if not more than that on the 26th of June, 2013, another terrible flood occurred and many houses got destroyed by the flood that went with uncountable number of children and their mothers and so in 2015 and 2016.
More so, in September last year, 2022, a misfortune flood occurred and destroyed so many houses and bodies of children and women were found after some hours of the incident. This year, on 16th September, the residents of Anguwan Rogo, Rikkos alongside other communities in Jos suffered a tragic flood that left so many women and children in anguished, sick and hopeless, and it displaced one thousand three hundred and four (1,304) persons, mostly women and children living in host communities.
However, based on assessments by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) North Central Zonal office Jos, in collaboration with Plateau Emergency Management Agency (PLASEMA) and Red Cross on the flood that ravaged Rikkos, Angwan Rogo and Akpata communities, it was discovered that one hundred and fifty two (152) houses were destroyed by the flood and living women, and their families homeless and three people recorded died.
Nurudeen Musa, the NEMA official highlighted the impacts made by the recent flood, including houses destroyed and unspecific statistics of the lives lost
“Based on our assessments, we don’t have the specific number of people that died or lost during the flood but about 152 households were affected by the flood with women and children inside.”
Alhaji Inuwa, the Community Leader of Rikkos community noted the number of people lost in Rikkos Community from last year to this year.
“We lost more than 30 people from last year to this year because one of the streams, is closed to our houses and any time flood occurs it carries away our people including women and children.”
Malama Zainab Lawal who lost her daughter also recount her experience
“I lost my 15 year old daughter in the recent flooding and house destroyed as the result. I used to be very scared when raining season come because it don’t used to leave a good memory and since the time I lost my daughter, I don’t have peace of mind again because I have many children and grandchildren. Last year it was two of my neighbor’s children that died, flood has really left a scar in my heart.”
Jamila Musa also shared her predicaments. “Flood destroyed some of our rooms, we have being in a very bad situation and helpless because my husband is poor, nobody to help us fix the rooms and live comfortable.”
Vanguard and other Newspapers houses reported that three people lost their lives as the result of the flood.
The Health Effects Caused by the Flood
Research shows that floods comes with a lot of havoc including diseases. When flood occurs, it contaminated the river, streams, wells and even boreholes.
Jamila Musa said the recent flood contaminated their well water and made them ill.
“Anytime flooding occurs, we used to be in a very bad situation because it makes a lot of damages to us. This year it entered our house, rooms and even our well, me and my siblings all fell sick and we had to go to a hospital.
Usaina Muhammad, a resident of Rikkos Community also lamented how the flood affected her and her children health wise
“The occurrence of flooding has really caused us lot of problems including our health, I and my children experienced severe fever, Malaria, and Typhoid after the flood entered our house and contaminated our water, we nearly died.
It was a bad experience for us Dr. Isa Muhammad Ahmad, Assistant Sanitation officer for Jos North Local Government Area also a Secretary for JIBWIS Health Association of Nigeria JIBHAN, Plateau State chapter explained how floods contaminated water and caused sickness.
“Whenever flooding occurs, a lot of rubbish/ unwanted materials and sewages, insects and so many things that water can carry away from far places tends to contaminate the whole environment and our sources of water, especially wells, so when all these dirties stick into the wells, it contaminates the water and if members of such communities used or consumed the water, it causes outbreaks, different sort of illness especially cholera, Fever and Malaria.”
When asked how to tackle such kind of problems and avoid future occurrence.
Dr. Ahmad explained the measure they take as health physicians to treat contaminated water and prevents illness.
“As health physicians, we take measures on contaminated water by taking the water sample to laboratories to see the level of the contamination and treat the water afterwards.”
He further urge people to avoid defecating and dumping of refuse inside water as they are the major causes of diseases outbreak such as Cholera.
“We did not received any help from the Government”- Locals of Rikkos
Based on the Rikkos Community leader’s testimony, the community have not receive any help or intervention from Plateau State Government.
“We have been experiencing flood for years now, at least every year but nothing has been done about it, even the recent flood that occurred on September, there was no help at all. I remember last years ago, after a tragic flood, some Government officials came and surveyed all the damaged houses and the drainages that caused the flood here, they took some pictures, interviewed us, collected the houses number and even the victim’s account number but none of the victims received any help from them and nothing has been done about the issue up to and that’s why we are still suffering from the disaster now up to now.”
Another victim, Usaina Muhammad, living in Rikkos Community lamented about the lack of support.
“Despite the tragic experience, the Government and the Community Leaders are not doing anything to help. We were not rendered any support though some people from the Government came and collected our names and account numbers, but none of us received anything. We are just on our own.”
However, several attempts have been made to get to the Commissioner of Women Affairs in Plateau State to know what they are doing about the situation and their plans to ease the plight of the victims especially, the vulnerable women and children but there was no response at all.
The Victim’s Plea to the Government as the Way Forward
As the situation worsened, the communities of Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos banded together and pleads to the Plateau State Government to come to their aid.
The Community leader of Rikkos call on the State Government to save their plight
“I want the Plateau State Government to look at our situation with mercy and fix these drainages that causes flood here, killed our people and destroyed our properties so we won’t experience the same thing or probably worst in the future. This is something beyond us because we are poor people and we cannot do it ourselves without their support.”
Zainab, the prime victim living in Anguwan Rogo also cried out her pains
“Anytime floods occur, I used to be in a terrible condition because my husband is no more and I have other children to take care of and I cannot afford to lose another child again. I pleads with the government to please renovate our water ways that leads to the flood.”
Jamila Musa, another victim in Anguwan Rogo said that she want the Government to please repair their houses that were destroyed by the flood and construct boreholes as an alternative source of good water for them.
Hauwa, the 15 year old domicile of Anguwan Rogo also pleaded with the Government to help them out
“As a young member of the community, I am calling on the government please come and repair our waterways and drainages so that even if the flood comes, it will not enter our house and destroy my room like it did recently, damaged all my study books.”
The climate change’s impact on the communities of Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos in Jos is a tragic reminder of the far-reaching consequences of our changing climate. The emotional scars left by these recurrent disasters are immeasurable, women and children of these communities lives in constant fear of the next flood, which might wash away everything they hold dear and they children grow up with the haunting memory of their homes turning into waterlogged nightmares and women face the anguish of knowing that their efforts to provide for their families are futile in the face of this relentless climate change, this calls for the Plateau State Government to take good measures that will ease the victims sufferings and prevent future occurrences.
However, the plight of Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos is not an isolated incident but a reflection of a global crisis, threatening not only Anguwan Rogo and Rikkos communities but all the communities around the world and this calls for a global action for all nations to address the root causes of climate change and provide support to vulnerable communities.
