31 Nigerian states listed in 2024 high-risk flood forecast [See list]

The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), identified the following 31 states as high-risk areas for significant flood impacts in 2024.

Recall Federal Government announced penultimate Thursday that 21 Local Government Areas had been submerged by floods in 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, as a result of torrential rainfall over the past few weeks.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utserv, said some states had started experiencing varying levels of flooding and its associated disasters as early as April 2024, and added that most of the flood incidents were flash/urban floods resulting from high rainfall intensities of long duration and poor and blocked drainage systems.

Earlier in April 2024 while presenting the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, he had said it showed that 148 LGAs in 31 states fall within the High Flood Risk while 249 LGA fall within the Moderate Flood Risk Areas with the remaining 377 LGA falling within the Low Flood Risk Areas.

The High Flood Risk states, according to him, are Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the FCT.

Utserv said: "It should be noted that some states have started experiencing varying levels of flooding and its associated disasters as early as April this year.

"So far, more than ten states of the Federation and the FCT have experienced one degree of flooding or the other with several casualties recorded including displacement of people and loss of property.

"For example, the torrential downpour in the early hours of 24th June, 2024 in the FCT resulted in flooding of Trade More Estate in Lugbe where two deaths were reported and several houses submerged.
"AMAC, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Bwari, Kwali LGAs have also been flooded.

"Other affected states and LGAs are: Anambra (Onitsha North), Edo (Benin), Benue (Makurdi), Kwara (Oke-Ero, Moro), Lagos (Agege, Alimosho, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Ikeja, Eti-Osa), Ogun (Ijebu-Ode), Osun (Oriade), Nasarawa (Doma), Taraba (Takum, Sarduna), Yobe.

"It is important to note that as rainfall increases both in frequency and intensity, particularly in the southern part of the country, this will increase the level of flooding and may worsen the ravaging cholera outbreak.

"According to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the cholera outbreak has resulted in 63 deaths and 2,102 suspected cases as of Wednesday, July 3, 2024."

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The Minister also said the government is alert and monitoring the situation from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.

"We are also monitoring the development on the River Benue Sub-Basin. Here, Wuroboki in Adamawa State is our first monitoring station where the flow from the upstream Cameroun is received", the Minister said.

"The flow situation at Wuroboki is relatively normal at this time, so there is no cause for alarm in terms of water releases on the Benue River basin.

"The Lagdo Dam operators have informed us that they are currently filling the dam for hydropower generation.

"However, we will keep monitoring the development on this flank and put a close tab on other monitoring stations as we are approaching the critical months."

He called on states and local governments including Nigerians to mitigate the impact of the coming flood.

"The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA)'s 2024 AFO prediction has been following the predicted pattern", Utserv said. "Therefore, to be forewarned is to be forearmed and prevention, they say, is better than cure. We call on all to heed to the advice given in our prediction and stay safe.

"It is in the light of the above that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (FMWR&S) wishes to urge states and the general public to take necessary measures to prevent the ugly flooding menace of the past years.

"Recommended measures include but not limited to: Educating citizen to imbibe attitudinal change towards warnings for flood prevention by Government Agencies and desist from unethical traditional culture and beliefs; Clearing of blocked drainage systems and canals. This exercise is to be undertaken down to grassroots levels including local government areas; Relocation of people living along the water-ways and those that are having socio-economic activities on the flood plains, by the Federal, State and Local Governments; Consideration for channelization/training of major rivers in the country; States and Local Governments are encouraged to desilt river channels and canals and to construct/create buffer (or detention basins) in their respective constituencies to collect runoff waters; Modification of settlements to withstand floods by putting up flood barriers; and effective and efficient operational procedure for dams and reservoirs and maintenance of other hydraulic and water infrastructure across the country; Construction of dykes, flood-walls, buffer dams detention basins and water retaining structures".

However, he stated that 2024 river flooding will commence July, and 19 states will be affected, which include Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba and the FCT.

"At this point, it is important to state that river flooding is expected beginning from this month (July 2024) and states that are likely to be impacted within this period as predicted are: Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba and the FCT.