Twenty-one states in Nigeria are at risk of severe flooding as the rains enter the second month this year, the federal government has warned.
Already, 10 states, including commercial capital Lagos, have experienced flooding, with fatalities reported and people displaced.
At least one person died in flooding in Lagos on Wednesday, and businesses were affected in the state and in neighbouring Ogun state.
In Ogun State, flooding affected at least 10 communities in the Ifo area. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the impact in a statement on X.com, attributing the flooding to heavy downpour causing a riverbank overflow.
The statement read, “NEMA South West Zonal Office received a distress alert from Ogun State Emergency Management Agency regarding a flood disaster in ten communities in Ifo LGA of Ogun State. The flood was due to heavy rain leading to the riverbank overflow.”
Water Resources and Sanitation Minister Joseph Utsev on Thursday cited the Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency in April which predicted that 148 local government areas in 31 states fell within the high flood risk areas.
The states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Kebbi.
Others are Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe.
River flooding expected
The minister said that river flooding is expected to begin this month, affecting Ondo, Kaduna, Anambra, Benue, Adamawa, and 12 other states.
“So far, more than 10 states and the FCT have experienced varying degrees of flooding, with casualties, displacement, and property loss,” he stated. Specifically, a torrential downpour on June 24, 2024, in the FCT resulted in flooding in Trade More Estate in Lugbe, causing two deaths and submerging several houses.
“As rainfall increases in frequency and intensity, particularly in the southern part of the country, the level of flooding will rise, potentially worsening the ongoing cholera outbreak,” he warned.
Regarding the status of dams, he mentioned that both Kainji and Jebba Dams on the River Niger, as well as Shiroro Dam on the River Kaduna, are still holding water with no releases yet. However, river flooding is predicted to impact Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba, and the FCT.
He said that 148 local government areas (LGA) in 31 states are at high flood risk, 249 LGA at moderate risk, and 377 LGA at low risk. Nigeria’s location within the River Niger Basin, which includes eight other countries, positions it at risk of flooding when the upper catchment areas are inundated.
He said monitoring stations in Kebbi and Lokoja indicate normal flow situations. The flow from upstream Cameroon into the Benue River basin is currently normal, with no immediate cause for alarm. However, the Lagdo Dam operators in Cameroon are filling the dam for hydropower generation, and developments are being closely monitored, he said.
Discover more from Pluboard
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.