By SANI IDRIS

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), says it plans to give out funds to 5,000 flood- prone households in Kaduna State, to mitigate anticipated effects of flood this year.

The Emergency Manager of UNICEF in Nigeria, Christina Valderrama, disclosed this during a working visit to the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) on Monday in Kaduna.

She said the visit was to introduce UNICEF’s cash transfer programme in the state, to identify and support 5,000 flood prone households, to cushion the adverse effects of flood on them.

She also said that the visit was part of their quest to strengthen the links with relevant government agencies working on disaster management.

Valderrama explained that what informed the cash transfer was the information received from various agencies about flood menace in the prone areas.

“Our short response project is to cushion the effects of disaster that flood might cause to vulnerable areas, including those living along Kaduna River.

“The cash transfer is limited and it is in anticipation of the disaster the flood might cause, and the idea is to affect it before it happens, to mitigate its impact on them.

“The idea to come to KADSEMA is to get analysis and swap notes to see that we are on the same page regarding the vulnerable groups and communities under our programme called the

Short response projects,” she said.

Also, the Executive Secretary of KADSEMA, Muhammed Mukaddas, said prior to the UNICEF’s visit, the organization was able to galvanise all the stakeholders who had things to do with emergency management in the state.

He said KADSEMA met all the groups, including the state’s Standing Committee on Flooding and Disaster Management platform.

Mukaddas noted that the agency had also identified all the vulnerable communities in Kaduna North, South and Chukun Local Council Areas of the state where the cash transfer would be affected.

“We have visited the areas and seen the vulnerable households who fit into the categories the programme hopes to support,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NIMET had predicted that the year’s rainy season would be heavier than previous ones and might result in serious flood. (NAN)