The Federal Government has alerted of heavy floods which will moderately affect 275 local governments Areas and greatly hit 102 councils in the country, between September and October this year.
Consequently, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), which made the prediction has counseled residents of flood-prone areas to begin relocation for the fact that heavy rains which will soon commence ,will cause the flooding, leading to destruction of property and likely loss of lives.
Director-General of the agency, Mr. Clement Nze said Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Edo and Kogi are on top of the list of states under which the affected Local Governments , which are to witness major flooding fall.
According to him , the others are Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara states.
He said all the local government areas in Lagos, except Epe and many parts of Ogun State, will be badly affected, adding that governors of the states had been advised to begin immediate evacuation of residents in areas to be affected.
The NIHSA DG blamed the construction of houses on flood plains for the heavy flooding experienced in some parts of Abuja five days ago.
Nze said ,what was required before now across the country was proper drainage and demolition of structures on flood plains, explaining that flooding experienced so far in parts of the country was as a result of constant rainfall.
He warned that the effect of any nation in the Niger Basin releasing water from its dam(s) might be too devastating for Nigeria, if nothing was done now.
According to him, the month of June is usually the period of effective rainfalls and the beginning of a new hydrological year in the River Niger Basin which covers nine countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Chad, Cote D’ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.
He stated that Nigeria is downstream of all the countries in this basin, adding that July, August, September, and October are also known as JASO months signifying heavy rainfall, flooding, and flood disasters in most parts of the country.
Nze disclosed that the floods are often aggravated by the trans-boundary inflow of rivers Niger and Benue from outside the country before they empty into the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria.
He advised state and local governments, stakeholders, multinational companies and public-spirited individuals and philanthropists to join hands to save the country from the consequences of flood pandemic in the year 2020 adding that blocked drainages and gutters should be cleared, river channels dredged and structures within the waterways and flood plains and flood paths pulled down.
According to him, the 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) released earlier in the year by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the earliest cessation date for rainfall in the southern part of the country is December 28th, while September 26th is the earliest cessation date for rainfall in the northern part of the country.
Lagos State, early in the month, warned residents of four local government areas, especially those living on flood plains, to vacate their homes immediately while 15 other councils were also alerted.
