Kogi state government says it has mapped out strategies to combat flood menace as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has again put the State on red alert.
State Commissioner of Environment, Chief Victor Omofaiye, made this known in Lokoja on Wednesday.
Omofaiye explained that moved by the devastation caused by annual flooding around Kpata and Nataco areas of Lokoja, the state capital, the state government commenced the construction of embankment along the costal area.
He said the embankment around coastal area in Lokoja has reached over ninety percent completion.
The project, according to the Commissioner, is one of the interventions by the state government to control over flow of water that usually leave many people stranded during flooding.
According to Omofaiye, the present administration has also made frantic efforts at controlling erosion across the State through the just concluded Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) project, adding that another World Bank project, Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), is ongoing and would also address erosion challenges.
The Commissioner maintained that government in partnership with Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) is working on controlling flow of water at Koton Karfe that affected vehicular movement for days last year.
He stated that for the flood challenge to be permanently checked, the Federal Government must construct macro dams that will break the velocity of other water from Lagdo, Shiroro and Kanji dams.
Chief Omofaiye described the annual flooding in the state as unfortunate, saying the recurrence is as a result of the location of the State.
