Raining season is here, so is flooding. The Nigeria Hydrological Agency (NIHSA) has warned 34 states are prone to flooding. These include as expected Lagos and Ogun States.
This is according to the agency’s 2018 Annual Flood Outlook. It projected flooding in 318 local government areas and about 78 are at high risk. The states with a high risk of river flooding include Sokoto, Niger, Benue, Anambra, Niger Delta, Anambra, Ogun-Osun, Cross-River and Yobe.
The agency said Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Ondo may likely experience coastal flooding due to rise in sea level and tidal surge, which will impact fishing and coastal transportation.
Major cities like Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Yola, Abuja, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Calabar, Jos, Owerri, Oshogbo, Ilorin, Awka, Abakaliki and Birnin-Kebbi are expected to experience flash and urban flooding due to poor drainage system.
Other cities include Kano, Yenegoa, Abeokuta, Ado-Ekiti, Lokoja, Lafia, Nsuka, Gombe, Suleja, Karu, Nyanya, Abaji, Onitsha, Sapele and Hadejia.
Minister of Water Resource Suleiman Adamu said going by the prediction, water levels on the River Niger and Benue among other major rivers would rise and remain high during the rainy season.
“We can manage these extreme events in such a manner that their deleterious effects are mitigated and become less devastating,” he said.
He expressed concerns that some dams were getting silted up and the storage capacity was reducing, causing water to be spilled through the waterways.
