NIHSA lists Delta and other states with high risk of flood; advises Nigerians in flood-prone areas to relocate
The Director General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Mr. Clement Nze, has called on Nigerians residing in flood-prone areas to be vigilant.
The Director General advised people living within the floodplains to move to higher grounds and visit the floodplains during the day for their normal lucrative activities.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja, Nze said the call was necessary and important to prevent disasters and emergency situations that could happen in the coming months.
It was recalled that the NIHSA had foretold that 178 local government areas in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory were within the “Highly Probable Flood Risks Areas” in the country.
These states include: Adamawa, Abia, Akwa- Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Edo. while Others are Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Mr. Nze called on governments and individuals at different levels to adhere to this advise by doing the needful in order to avoid the effects of the flood.
The DG said, “President Muhammadu Buhari gave a directive that led to the inauguration of the Presidential Committee for the Development of a Comprehensive Action Plan for preventing flood disasters in the country. This committee will articulate all flooding relating issues, including de-silting of the country’s major rivers.”
He noted, this would deepen their carrying capacities so as to reduce overflow of rivers which often resulted in flood disasters.
“As early as the middle of February, NIHSA released the 2023 Annual Flood Outlook. This is quite unprecedented when compared to previous years”, he added.
Read the original article on (NAN)
