By Abba Gwale
The Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, has said At least 28 states in Nigeria are at high risk of severe flooding this year.
The minister said this during this year’s public presentation on Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), organized by Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in Abuja.
Adamu said, the states are; Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, FCT, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Kebbi States.
Others are Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara States.
He said the 2012 flood resulted massive destruction of lives and property across the country adding that this forced the government to put in place proper mechanism to prepare Nigerians to confront the disaster whenever it occurred.
He added that the NIHSA forecasts have increased the awareness to the general public and led to taking measures to prevent severe flood disaster.
He said, “This year, we will be grappling with the two threats of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the impending floods as predicted in the AFO.
“The flood projections show varying severity across parts of the country.
“In summary, the 2021 AFO forecast indicates that 302 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 36 states including the FCT will fall within the moderate probable flood risk areas.
“It is expected from the forecast that 121 LGAs in 28 states will fall within the highly probable risk areas.
“The states surrounding Rivers Niger and Benue are, without doubt, going to experience severe flooding,”
He noted that, “Floods come with attendant health risks through the contamination of potable water sources. The 2021 flooding will be exacerbated by the continuing ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He urged Nigerians to do everything possible to give succour to the populace grappling with the twin problems.
He also called on policy makers, stakeholders and tiers of government to rise to the challenge of the impending flooding and take appropriate measures such as clearing of drainage and flood paths to contain it.
Adamu further said his ministry was controlling water flow in streams through the construction of dams, reservoirs, artificial lakes and rivers, with a view to making it less destructive.
In his part, the Director-General of the NIHSA, Mr Clement Nze, stressed the need for state and local governments to restore rivers to their natural courses and reduce indiscriminate encroachment on waterways.
He expressed his concern over the inability by some states to adhere to the early warnings about floods and said it had caused devastating effects across the country.
Nze however said enforcement of town planning codes in the country would go a long way to managing the construction of houses and drainage appropriately.
He said, “We are calling on states to relocate people that live in waterways and flood plains.
“They should desilt their rivers, drainage and water channels. Removal of refuse, weeds and water hyacinth is very important ”
Mohammadu Muhammed, the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said the agency had enjoyed a robust partnership with NIHSA as a critical stakeholder in disaster management saying that NIHSA’s AFO has been veritable took for NEMA in flood preparedness, mitigation and response since 2013.
He noted that the agency had also established three automatic weather observation stations in Nasarawa, Gombe State and Ekiti to enhance flood forecast and management in Nigeria.
NAN
