…as meteorologists predict heavy downpours July
Before ‘August break,’ which normally occurs in August, annually the month of July is always a period of heavy downpours in the country, while the coastal areas are often most affected by massive flooding.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE
In the past few years, the country has witnessed uncontrolled flooding, as a result of the greenhouse effect and environmental changes, compounded by the opening of the Lado dam in Cameron to discharge excess water to prevent water from over-flowing the dam. These events had destroyed harvests and properties worth billions of naira and worsened the good crisis ravaging the country. Most of the beneficiaries from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, agricultural interventions, such as the Anchored Borrowers scheme for rice production, were badly affected and could not repay their loans. However, hope that this annual flooding tragedy would somehow abate seems to have gone recent experiences across the country.
For the past one month, meteorologists have been forecasting heavy rain, warning states to be prepared for emergencies. The events of the past two weeks in Lagos and some other states may have lent credentials to the alarms raised by the relevant agencies.
The Nigeria Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency released in April had predicted that 148 local government areas in 31 states were within the high flood risk areas.
Only two weeks ago, heavy downpours across the country, but more devastating in Lagos than other states, caused great havoc. The Federal Government, penultimate Thursday, said no fewer than 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had either witnessed various degrees of flooding or recorded casualties as rains intensified.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, who raised the alarms during a press briefing in Abuja, warned that 21 more states might suffer flooding.
He made this known against the background of the penultimate Wednesday downpour, which grounded business and commercial activities in Lagos and Ogun states.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE
The resulting flooding led to the collapse of a two-story building in the Mushin area of Lagos and overwhelmed residents while pupils could not attend schools in parts of the state.
It also claimed a life as a pupil was swept away by the flooding in the Ketu area of Lagos.
Utsav stated that the Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency released in April had forecast that 148 local government areas in 31 states were within the high flood risk category.
The affected 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.
But the danger is not limited to the floods as health hazards are equally high, according to health professionals spoken to by Business Hallmark.
Dr. Ariyo Bidemi, a general medicine practitioner, told this medium that “we are in a situation of double jeopardy, here we are still battling with the spread and scourge of cholera, only to witness an accelerator of cholera spread. These floodings that may result from heavy rains can accentuate the spread of cholera given the dirty environments and lack of hygiene. A lot of areas are dirty, especially for women, who cook food on the roadsides in dirty surroundings. Water can spread the scourge of cholera through contamination.”
Florence Abayomi , a nurse expressed similar fears, adding that “our people live and eat in unhygienic conditions, so there’s a likelihood of floodings aiding the spread of cholera.”
This reality was not lost on the government as the minister warned that cholera might spread further in Nigeria due to the flooding.
He hinted that river flooding would commence this month, and would hit Ondo, Kaduna, Anambra, Benue, Adamawa and 12 other states.
The National Centre for Disease Control also stated that a cholera outbreak had occurred in 63 deaths and 2,102 suspected cases as of June 30, 2024.
Jide Idris, the director general of the National Centre for Diseases Control added that about 90 percent of the cases were recorded in 10 states with seven of them in the southern region.
“Of the top 10 states, Lagos, Bayelsa, Abia, Zamfara, Bauchi, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Delta that contribute about 90 percent of the cases, seven of them are southern states,” Dr. Idris said.
The water resources minister stated 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 in the urban areas and their metropolises.
“As of today, both Kainji and Jebba Dams on River Niger are still impounding water into their reservoirs. Shiroro Dam on the River Kaduna is equally impounding water. There is no release of water yet from any of the dams within and outside Nigeria.
“At this point, it is important to state that river flooding is expected, beginning this month (July 2024).
The agency has the responsibility for the provision of information on flood forecasts and alerts and monitoring of all the major rivers in Nigeria, including the trans-boundary Rivers Niger and Benue.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE