Okwe Obi, Abuja
As the rainy season begins in earnest, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has warned that over 600 local government areas are likely to be ravaged by flood.
NIHSA’s Director General, Clement Eze, who disclosed this at the launch of the 2019 Annual Flood Outlook, in Abuja, yesterday, lamented that the country has been at the receiving end because of River Niger which traverses about 7 countries and 2 countries (Cameroon and Chad ) in River Benue, both passing through Nigeria.
Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, stressed that warnings pertaining to flooding should be taken seriously, if not, it could lead to “catastrophic consequences.”
Nze, who did not name the local governments, added: “From our prediction, 774 local governments are highly probable to experience flood, while over 400 are probable. But, as we said, it is a prediction.
“By and large, I could be saying that almost 600 LGAs could be under threat of flood in 2019; going by our predictions. River flooding could be predicated with high level of accuracy because we have equipment along the river channels in river Niger and Benue. River Niger traverses about sevencountries. On the River Benue side, we have Cameroun and Chad and they all move on to Nigeria, which is at the receiving end of all. Year in, year out, predictions are made and followed by sensitisation programmes, through various media and at the end of it disasters occur meaning the flood disaster was not managed. Nobody should build structures within the flood plains. People should clean drainages. In 2018, it was merely river flooding. Another problem is urbane flooding, which is caused by heavy amount of rain and, of very short duration. The ground could not contain it; which is coming torrentially.”
Adamu, however, suggested that more funds should be provided to enable the ministry, and by extension, the agency intensify its campaign across the country.
“With adequate funding and establishment of more hydrological monitoring stations of our rivers and sreams, we will be able to provide timely daily forecasts as well as establish flood alarm systems at high risk and vulnerable areas.”