There is apprehension over the update provided by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, on floods in some parts of the country.
According to the Minister, two deaths were recorded in Abuja as a result of floods last week, and rains have continued, leading to the destruction of property and businesses amid the biting economy with high food prices compounding the woes of Nigerians.
But he also said the worst is not over as river flooding which, according to him, has commenced since July 1, poses significant threat in 19 states namely: Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba and the FCT.
Meanwhile, there appears to be nowhere to run as experts suggest that not much is being done by the government at the various levels to prepare for the worst-case scenario despite the warning.
For instance, they said there is no evidence across the country that shelters are being built to accommodate those who might have to relocate from their homes when the predicted flooding comes.
Farmers, on their part, are jittery over the potential damage the looming floods may do to farms and produce in a manner that may worsen food insecurity in the country.
The Federal Government had, only last week, moved to ease food scarcity when it removed duties paid on imported foods, especially grains, for 150 days.
Consequent upon the new development, National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Arc Kabir Ibrahim, warns: “Food production should not be done in flood prone areas in order to avoid losses”.
One of the experts who spoke to Sunday Vanguard at the weekend said: “While we applaud the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, for promptly unveiling the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, and alerting that 148 LGAs across 31 states are at risk, more could have been done in implementing their proposed measures”.
It will be recalled that in 2023, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, disclosed that over 33,983 persons were affected by floods in different parts of Nigeria.
While 10 states were affected, 7,353 people were displaced, 75 injured, five dead; 1,679 houses damaged, and 866 hectares of farmland affected.
States worst hit were Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.
Meanwhile, the previous year, 2022, floods, according to NEMA, killed 665 Nigerians, displaced 2,437,411 persons and affected 4,476,867 persons.
The Federal Government announced penultimate Thursday that 21 states had been submerged by floods in 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, as a result of torrential rainfall of the past few weeks.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Utserv, some states had started experiencing varying levels of flooding and its associated disasters as early as April 2024, and added that most of the flood incidents were flash/urban floods resulting from high rainfall intensities of long duration and poor and blocked drainage systems.
Earlier in April 2024 while presenting the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, he had said it showed that 148 LGAs in 31 states fall within the High Flood Risk while 249 LGA fall within the Moderate Flood Risk Areas with the remaining 377 LGA falling within the Low Flood Risk Areas.
The High Flood Risk states, according to him, are 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 the FCT.
Utserv 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 ten 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.
“For example, the torrential downpour in the early hours of 24th June, 2024 in the FCT resulted in flooding of Trade More Estate in Lugbe where two deaths were reported and several houses submerged.
“AMAC, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Bwari, Kwali LGAs have also been flooded.
“Other affected states and LGAs are: Anambra (Onitsha North), Edo (Benin), Benue (Makurdi), Kwara (Oke-Ero, Moro), Lagos (Agege, Alimosho, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Ikeja, Eti-Osa), Ogun (Ijebu-Ode), Osun (Oriade), Nasarawa (Doma), Taraba (Takum, Sarduna), Yobe.
“It is important to note that as rainfall increases both in frequency and intensity, particularly in the southern part of the country, this will increase the level of flooding and may worsen the ravaging cholera outbreak.
“According to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the cholera outbreak has resulted in 63 deaths and 2,102 suspected cases as of Wednesday, July 3, 2024.”