Flood Alert: High flooding to hit 32 States, FCT — Adamu, Water Resources Minister
"Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun and Ondo will experience coastal flooding due to tidal surge and rise in sea level.”
8 States to battle with tidal surge, rise in sea level
AS the rains arrived in March, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu has unveiled the 2022 Annual Flood Outlook, which indicated that high flooding will hit 233 Local Government Areas in 32 States and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Press And Public Relations Unit in the Ministry, Funmi Imuetinyan, where Adamu made the disclosure during the presentation of the 2022 Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, in Abuja.
According to him, the AFO has aided the abatement of flood risks in the country through early warnings and forecasting, and applauded the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency for improving its predictive capacity through the introduction of a new approach to the 2022 AFO which is designed into three respective scenarios of flood outlook for the months of April to June(AMJ); flood outlook for September to July (JAS), and flood outlook for the months of October to November (ON) respectively.
He said: “The general outlook of 2022 Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, shows that 233 local government Areas in 32 States of the Federation and FCT fall within the Highly Probable flood risk Areas, while 212 Local Government Areas in 35 States of the Federation including FCT fall within the moderately probable flood risk areas.
“The remaining 392 Local Government Areas fall within the probable flood risk areas.
“The highly Probable Flood risk states include Adamawa, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, and Ebonyi. Others are, Ekiti, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and FCT.”
However, Suleiman Adamu said eight States will battle with tidal surges and a rise in sea level in 2022 based on the AFO.
“Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, and Ondo States will experience coastal flooding due to tidal surge and rise in sea level”, he said.
According to Adamu, flash and urban flooding will be experienced in parts of major cities including Lagos, Kaduna, Suleja, Gombe, Yola, Makurdi, Abuja, and Lafia, Asaba, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Benin City, and Birni Kebbi. Others include Sokoto, Lokoja, Maiduguri, Kano, Oshogbo, Ado Ekiti, Abakaliki, Awka, Nsukka, Calabar and Owerri.
However, the Minister assured that efforts are in top gear by the Ministry of Water Resources to put in place structural control measures such as dams, canals, storm drains, and other facilities to divert floodwaters from highly probable flood risk zones in the country.
He also made it known that there is strong collaboration between neighbouring countries with regards to water releases from dams within their catchments and better preparedness to avert any flood incidents.
Earlier, speaking at the public presentation of the 2022 AFO, the Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Engr Clement Nze, expressed optimism that Nigerians will be better informed, educated, and enlightened with the 2022 AFO document after the Minister unveiled the AFO document to the public.