The Federal Government has warned Nigerians that 148 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 31 states of the federation, fall within the high flood-risk areas.
The warning was given by the Minister of Water Resources, Prof Joseph Utsev while presenting the general highlights of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Abuja.
Utsev explained that the annual flood outlook serves as a comprehensive guide to mitigate the impact of floods on communities across the country.
Lagos, Rivers, Ogun, 28 other states that are affected
The minister in his presentation of the Annual Flood Outlook report listed the high flood-risk areas including; Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe.
The floods are expected between April and November 2024.
A further breakdown of the Annual Flood Outlook presented by the minister shows that part of the 148 LGAs in 31 states of the federation fall within the high flood risk areas, while part of the 249 LGAs in 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), fall within the moderate flood risk areas.
He, however, did not list the areas under the moderate-risks flooding.
Utsev added that 72 LGAs across the country fall within the high flood-risk areas in the months of April, May and June; while part of the 135 LGAs in the months of July, August and September; and 44 LGAs in the months of October, November and December are within the high flood-risk areas.
While Nigeria regularly experiences seasonal flooding, the floods of 2022 have been the worst since the 2012 floods.
The 2022 flood was reported to have affected 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with over two million people displaced.
What you should know
Recall that in a similar circumstance, the Federal Government had in February 2023, alerted Nigerians that a total of 178 local government areas in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory were at risk of high floods this year.
The then Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, who disclosed this while providing the general highlights of the 2023 Annual Flood Outlook prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency said the forecasts for 2023 AFO, stated that 178 LGAs in 32 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory fall within the highly probable flood risk areas.
He said 224 LGAs in 35 states of the federation including the FCT fall within the moderately probable flood risk areas. The remaining 402 LGAs fall within the probable flood risk areas,” the minister stated.
The minister outlined the highly probable flood risk states to include Adamawa, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, and Edo.
Others include Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the Federal Capital Territory.
For probable flood risk areas between the months of April and November 2023, Adamu said the level of floods in this category was expected to be high in terms of impact on the population, agriculture, livelihood, livestock, infrastructure and the environment.