Flood Alert: 18 states, FCT at risk, FG warns

From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja

The federal government has warned states and the general public to step up efforts in preventing flooding, as 18 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will experience river flooding this month.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev, gave this warning at a news conference in Abuja.

Professor Utsev insisted that there has been no release of water from the dams, adding that most of the floods currently recorded were flash floods, which he attributed to high rainfall and poor drainage systems.

“At this point, it is important to state that river flooding is expected, beginning from this month (July 2024). The states that are likely to be impacted within this period, as predicted, are: Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba, and the FCT,” Professor Utsev stated.

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The Minister added that the flow situation within the catchment is currently normal, as the rising water levels at Nigeria’s various monitoring stations in Niamey are still within acceptable levels.

“The flow situation at Jiderebode in Kebbi State, upstream of Kainji and Jebba reservoirs, which is the first monitoring station on the River Niger in Nigeria, is still normal; the same applies to the flow at Lokoja, Kogi State (the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue),” he added.

“We are also monitoring the development on the River Benue Sub-Basin. Here, Wuroboki in Adamawa State is our first monitoring station, where the flow from upstream Cameroon is received.”

The Minister stated that the Lagdo Dam operators have informed Nigeria that they are currently filling the dam for hydropower generation.

“The flow situation at Wuroboki is relatively normal at this time, so there is no cause for alarm in terms of water releases on the Benue River basin. However, we will keep monitoring the development on this flank and keep a close watch on other monitoring stations as we are approaching the critical months.”

Professor Utsev, therefore, appealed to states affected by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency’s (NIHSA) 2024 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) prediction to take it seriously, as flooding has been following the predicted pattern.

Earlier, speaking on the perennial flooding experienced across the country, the Director General of NIHSA, Clement Nze, stressed that the agency is saddled with the responsibility to advise state governments and Nigerians on preparations and mitigation but has no power to prosecute.

Nze added that, regarding river flooding, the Federal Government is planning to construct the Dasin Hausa Dam in Adamawa State, which can capture excess water flowing from Cameroon.

Read also: NEMA issues flooding alert in 31 states