About 28 states are likely to experience severe flooding this year, the minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu announced on Thursday.
Adamu dropped the hint at the public presentation of the 2021 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in Abuja.
He listed the states to include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, FCT, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Kebbi. Others are Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun,
Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara.
The minister noted that the 2012 flood brought about massive destruction of lives and property across the country.
This, he noted, necessitated the putting in place, of proper mechanism to prepare Nigerians to confront the disaster whenever it occurred.
According to him, the NIHSA forecasts have increased the awareness in the citizenry and led to taking measures to prevent severe flood damage.
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“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.
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.
The minister urged Nigerians to do all within their power to give succour to the populace grappling with the twin problems.
He said the stakeholders; including policymakers and tiers of government should rise to the challenge of the impending flooding and take appropriate measures such as clearing of waterways and flood paths to contain it.
Adamu noted that the 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.
Director- general of the NIHSA, Clement Nze, stressed the need for state and local governments to restore rivers to their natural courses and reduce indiscriminate encroachment on waterways.
