The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) have alerted Nigerians and advised that everyone is prepared for more floods.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) specifically cautioned residents of states in the SouthEast region, South West and North Central. This warning was given at the opening ceremony of the workshop on Hydro-meteorological status and Outlook system (HydroSOS).
The warning was given by the Professor Mansur Bako Matazu, the Director General of NiMeT and Mr Clement Nze, the Director General of NIHSA. Prof. Matazu noted that the heavy rains in the season coupled with the opening of the dams are indicators that more flood will come.
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 spilt.
READ ALSO: Bayelsa Flood Victims Lament Suffering And Beg For Succor
So, on the 13th of September, the Lagbo Dam was released. And also Kainji and Shiroro dams were 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, and 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 several parts of the Southwest.
“In Africa, water-related hazards such as flood, drought etc has become a major cause of food insecurity, strains on livelihoods, health risks and conflicts in many parts of the continent.”
He also addressed the previous floods and said they were caused by the heavy rainfall and not the open dams.