By Aisha Tasneem Aliyu
Each rainy season in Kano comes with a familiar struggle—roads transforming into streams, cars and tricycles stranded in water, and residents wading through dirty floodwaters. What was once considered a seasonal inconvenience has now become a persistent challenge, especially for motorists and pedestrians in some of the city’s busiest areas.
According to Malam Bello, a resident of Janbulo, flooding often forces vehicles into a single lane. “When it rains in Janbulo, all vehicles are forced to use one lane because floodwater blocks the other lanes,” he explained. This not only slows down traffic but also creates dangerous driving conditions for commuters.
Kofar Na’isa, another major road in Kano, faces similar challenges. Residents lament how the situation destroys the road. One road user complained: “Kofar Na’isa, being one of the main roads, becomes very poor during rainfall. Most people park their vehicles because the road gets so bad, and it often results in vehicle breakdown.
Environmental experts have linked the problem to poor drainage systems. A civil engineer, explained: “The major cause of flooding in Kano is poor drainage and indiscriminate dumping of waste. Most of the drainage channels are blocked, and when the rain comes, there is no passage for water.
Community members also believe that practical solutions are possible if authorities and residents play their part. Hauwa Abdullahi, a resident of Gwale, stressed: “We need government to repair the bad roads and clear the drainage regularly, but residents must also stop throwing dirt inside the gutters. If both sides cooperate, the flooding problem can reduce.”
As the rainy season continues, the voices of road users, traders, experts, and residents echo the same plea: improved infrastructure and effective planning to ease the burden of flooding in Kano. Until then, navigating the city during heavy rains remains a daunting task.
