Prepare for more flood - NiMet tells Nigerians

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) have cautioned Nigerians in some states, especially in the North Central, South East, and the South Western States that they should be expecting more floods soon. The Director-General, NiMet, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, and Director-General, of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Mr. Clement Nze, made this known during a ceremony of the workshop on Hydro-meteorological status and outlook system (HydroSOS). According to Matazu, with high-intensity rains and with the dams being let open, there will be more floods. He said: “Remember, we issued the forecast in February and we followed up with the monthly updates that we’re going to have above-normal rainfall in most parts of the country. So in terms of the rainfall-induced floods, we’ve seen the peak but remember we told you that this rainwater gets collected into the reservoirs and dams, and whenever they are filled, it gets spilled. So, on September 13, the Lagbo Dam was released. And also Kainji and Shiroro dams were also released. So what we’re witnessing now is riverine flooding. “And from the information, we’re getting from NIHSA we’re going to see more floods. And now the rain is concentrating on the North Central and the southern states. So that will be a combination of short duration, high-intensity rain, which riverine flooding. So we’re going to see more of these floods in the north-central states as we are seeing in Kogi and also southeastern and southwestern states as we are beginning to see in a number of parts of South West. “In Africa, water-related hazards such as flood, drought, etc. have become a major cause of food insecurity, strains on livelihoods, health risks, and conflicts in many parts of the continent.”