Stakeholders move to strengthen flood, cholera preparedness in Katsina

Stakeholders have begun a three-day workshop aimed at strengthening flood preparedness and cholera readiness in Katsina State amid warnings of heightened risks during the 2026 rainy season.

The workshop, jointly organised by the Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Katsina State Bureau of Statistics and United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF), brought together representatives of all 34 Local Government Area Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), government ministries, development partners, traditional and religious leaders.

Declaring the workshop open on Tuesday in Kano, Saifullahi Sani Ibrahim, Professor and Statistician-General of Katsina State, said the State must adopt proactive measures rather than wait for disasters to occur.

“Though our venue is Kano, our mission is Katsina. The rains are already starting across the North. We cannot afford to wait for disaster before we act”, he said.

He commended SEMA for co-hosting the programme and UNICEF for providing technical support, describing the collaboration as essential in addressing flood and cholera risks.

Ibrahim stressed that disaster response requires a multi-sectoral approach.

“Flood and cholera do not operate in silos. Neither should our response. When the Environment sits with Health, Water with Education, and Budget with LEMCs, then our action plan will be realistic and fundable,” he said.

According to him, the 2026 Seasonal Outlook of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) listed a number of Katsina LGAs as high-risk areas due to expected rainfall and river discharge patterns.

He further revealed that findings from the Bureau’s 2025 WASH Survey indicated that 38% of rural households still relied on unprotected wells and surface water, making them susceptible to cholera outbreaks after floods.

“Historical records from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the State Ministry of Health show that cholera cases in Katsina spike between two and four weeks after major flood events.

“The data is not predicting ‘if’. It is telling us ‘where’ and ‘when’. These three days must be used to decide ‘how’ we will respond”, he said.

Ibrahim announced that the Bureau of Statistics would produce a 2026 Flood and Cholera Vulnerability Atlas before the peak rainfall period, alongside a cross-sectoral early warning dashboard and a post-season impact assessment report.

“If we get the planning right now, we will save lives, farms and public funds later,” he added.

Earlier, Binta Husaini Dangani, State Executive Secretary of SEMA, said the workshop came at a critical period as flooding continued to threaten lives, livelihoods and infrastructure across the state.

“Flooding remains one of the most devastating natural disasters affecting Katsina State. Year after year, many communities experience the adverse effects of floods, resulting in displacement of families, destruction of farmlands, damage to public infrastructure and loss of valuable economic assets.

“The expected outcome of this engagement is the development of a strategic preparedness plan that will strengthen our capacity to anticipate, prevent, mitigate and respond effectively to flood emergencies,” she said.