Residents raise the alarm over erosion-threatened Kaduna PHC facility serving over 4,000 residents

A rapidly expanding gully erosion is threatening to engulf a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Bayan Dutse, a riverine community in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The development is raising fears among residents who depend on the facility for essential medical services.

The facility, which reportedly serves over 4,000 residents, is located near the banks of the Bayan Dutse River.

According to locals, more than 10 meters of land have been lost to erosion in the past six months, due to persistent rainfall and the absence of proper drains.

Cracks have appeared on the facility’s exterior walls, while parts of the perimeter fence have collapsed. The back gate was also torn off following a recent downpour.

“We are worried that this health centre, which is our only access to basic healthcare especially for pregnant women and children may soon collapse into the river,” said one Mr. Royal Daniel, a resident.

He added, “We had hope for the renovation under Governor Uba Sani’s administration, but that hope is fading fast.”

Local leaders have expressed concern over the siting of the health centre so close to the riverbank, describing it as a poor decision that overlooked obvious environmental risks.

They also criticized the quality of work done by the contractor handling the renovation.

One of them, Mrs. Sarah Thomas, a trader, said, “We believe the contractor did a shoddy job without proper assessment of the terrain. There was no meaningful erosion control component in the project.

“We are calling on the Kaduna State Government to urgently review this project and ensure it is executed properly. Our lives depend on this facility.”

During a visit to the area, it was observed that without immediate erosion control measures, the facility could become structurally unsafe and unusable within months.

Residents have appealed to the Kaduna State Government and federal agencies such as the Ecological Fund Office to urgently intervene before the erosion claims yet another critical public asset.

Efforts to get an official response from the Chikun council were unsuccessful.