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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Federal Governmrnt has warned Nigerians to get prepared as 233 local government areas in 32 states including the Federal Capital Territory would experience heavy flooding this year.
Minister of Water Resource, Suleiman Adamu gave the warning at the official unveiling of the 2022 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), titled ‘Flood management and food security’ held in Abuja, yesterday.
He added that flash and urban flooding would be experienced in urban cities centres across the country.
“The breakdown of the 2022 AFO shows that 233 local Government Areas in 32 states of the Federation and FCT fall within the highly probable risk areas, while 212 Local government areas in 35 states including FCT fall within the moderately flood risk areas.
“The highly probably flood risk states are: Adamawa, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi and Bayelsa, Benue, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the FCT.
He said between April, May and June, moderate impact of floods would occur in parts of 45 local government areas while 140 LGAs would experience flood in July, August and September. The prediction said in the month of October, November and December, 54 local government areas are also at risk of floods.
“The summary of the year’s AFO predicts coastal flooding for Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta Edo, Lagos , Ogun and Ondo.
“Flash and urban flood are expected in uban cities centres across the country. Parts of these cities are Lagos, Kaduna, Suleja, Gombe, Yola, Makurdi , Asaba, Abuja, Yola, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Benin City, Birnin-Kebbi, Sokoto, Lokoja, Maiduguri, Kano, Oshogbo, Ado Ekiti, Abakaliki and Akwa, Nsukka, Calabar and Owerri .”
The minister, therefore, called on all stakeholders, policy makers and agencies to rise up with appropriate mechanism on how to curtail impending floods.
