National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said 102 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 28 states in the country fall within highly probable flood risk areas in 2020.
Muhammadu Mohammed, the Director General of NEMA, said this at a news conference on the agency’s plan for the ‘2020 Flood Preparedness, Mitigation and Response’, on Friday in Abuja.
Mohammed noted that 275 LGAs in the 36 states of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, also fall within the moderately probable flood risk areas.
According to him, the remaining 397 LGAs, however, fall within the low probable flood risk areas.
He stated that the yearly seasonal rainfall prediction (SRP) and annual flood outlook (AFO) released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) predicted the floods in June.
The director-general said Kaura and Zaria local government areas in Kaduna state are among the high-risk areas.
He stated that the predictions were expected to have impacts on various sectors, including agriculture, water resources, health, transport and infrastructure.
Muhammed expressed that state emergency management agencies should sensitise residents and be ready to evacuate communities.
He also advised governments to organise state humanitarian coordination forum meetings in order to prepare stakeholders for mitigation and response to floods when they hit.
The director-general stressed that;
Refuse, weeds, water hyacinths should be removed from drainages, water channels and all avenues for river run-offs so as to allow free flow of flood waters.
In June, some parts of Lagos like Marina, Lekki, Dopemu, Iyana-Ipaja, Egbeda, Ikeja and Ajah were affected by the floods.
Some lives were lost to flood as well as properties.
