In spite of the weather advisories issued by the relevant agencies of the Federal Government, many states were hit by severe flooding in 2022, resulting in the untimely deaths of hundreds of citizens and destruction of properties worth billions of naira.
Just like it did in 2022 and 2023, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), in its Annual Flood Outlook, released on Tuesday, 16 April, 2024, warned the country of the likelihood of severe flooding in the coming months. It predicted that 148 Local Government Areas in 31 states were in high danger of severe flooding and stressed the need to put in place machinery for flood mitigation. The agency’s Director-General/ CEO, Engr. Clement Eze, observed that “Nigeria lost over 665 people last year (2023), and World Bank put the amount of money lost at over $6.8 million to flood in 2022, so it is important to have a proper understanding of Annual Flood Outlook for proper measures to mitigate the impact.”
We may wish to recall that in August, 2022, the then Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Mustapha Ahmed, said the agency had identified 233 Local Government Areas in 32 states and the FCT that had been predicted to experience flooding. Ahmed made the important disclosure at a national consultative workshop on 2022 flood preparedness, mitigation and response, organized by the agency in Abuja. The salutary aim of the workshop was to collectively prepare and provide pragmatic strategies to strengthen flood risk mitigation and effective rapid response, especially with “the 2022 seasonal climate prediction released by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Annual Flood Outlook released by Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).”
It is noteworthy that NEMA did not only identify the flood-prone areas but sent the warnings to the states concerned, whereupon this newspaper, in several editorials, urged the sub-national governments and agencies to take proactive measures against the imminent rage of flood. It is regrettable, to say the least, that the devastating floods in the fourth quarter of 2022 caught the entire nation unawares.
Floods come as part of natural disasters, caused by heavy downpours of rain on flat ground, sometimes due to failure of reservoirs or traceable to river overflow, tidal surges, tsunamis, volcanic eruption, melting of ice and glaciers. They also occur when the soil, stream channels and man-made reservoirs cannot absorb the water overflow. Also, the breakage of dams and retention ponds, severe winds over rivers, unusual high tides, the topography and lack of adherence to stipulated rules for building constructions all lead to floods.
Their cumulative effects are indeed calamitous. Innumerable lives of human beings and animals are at great risk as properties worth billions of naira are laid to wanton waste. The secondary effects include the outbreak of debilitating diseases such as cholera and malaria.
But in some instances, flooding could have been prevented. In fact, Nigeria’s flooding, according to experts in meteorology, is mainly human induced with poor urban planning practices and inadequate environmental infrastructure.
We recall the 2012 flood disaster that ravaged many states, especially the central ones close to Rivers Niger and Benue and the adjoining areas across the country. By the time its spread was over, many farmlands, crops, buildings, bridges and electric power lines were seriously devastated. Ten years after, the flood unleashed its worst furry, giving the calamitous losses in states such as Anambra, Katsina, Nasarawa, Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa, Kogi and Jigawa.
Public enlightenment campaigns should be sustained for Nigerian citizens to understand and adopt preventive measures. They should stop dropping masses of all manner of filth and wastes into gutters. All buildings should follow the plans as stipulated by the physical planning and related agencies. We should actively engage in tree planting as a way of life, more so with the vagaries of the unrelenting climate change.
There should be identification of high grounds for possible Internally Displaced Persons camps, to shelter evacuated communities. Governors should not divert the funds meant for environmental protection. De-silting of river channels and canals, removal of all refuse, weeds, water hyacinths and floats from water channels will assist in reducing the tidal effects of flooding. So will the opening of drainages and all avenues for river run offs so as to allow free flow of flood waters.
Given the warnings by the relevant agencies on the 2024 flood outlook, especially the formal communication to the 31 states identified as High Flood Risk Areas by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev, we call on national and sub-national governments to inaugurate without further ado strategic and pragmatic plans to avert loss of lives and property to the next floods.
