Abuja The Federal Government said no fewer than 21 local government areas in 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, have been submerged by flood as a result of torrential rainfall in the past few days.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr Joseph Utserv, who disclosed this, along the Minister of State for Water Resource and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo, and the Director General, Nigeria Hydrological Services, NIHSA, at a briefing in Abuja, said some states had started experiencing varying levels of flooding and its associated disasters as early as April in 2024.
He noted that most of the flood incidents recorded so far were flash/urban floods resulting from high rainfall intensities of long duration and poor and blocked drainage systems.
Recall that the minister had in April 2024, presented the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, which showed that 148 LGAs in 31 states fall within the high flood risk, while 249 LGA fell within the moderate flood risk areas, with the remaining 377 LGAs falling within the low flood risk areas.
The high flood risk states as predicted, include Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and FCT.
The minister said: “It should be noted that some states have started experiencing varying levels of flooding and its associated disasters as early as April this year. So far, more than 10 states of the federation and the FCT have experienced one degree of flooding or the other, with several casualties recorded, including displacement of people and loss of property.
Channels / Arafat Ayofe
