The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency has warned Nigerians living by the banks of River Niger and its floodplains to immediately relocate over possible flooding.
The agency gave the warning on Wednesday in Abuja in a statement signed by Mr Clement Nze, the agency’s Director of Engineering Hydrology.
Nze named the states likely to be affected to include Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, and Bayelsa.
He said the middle Niger portion of the Niger basin (Niger Republic) experienced high flows last week with the flood advancing into the Lower Niger (Nigeria).
NIHSA noted that both Kainji and Jebba Dams were already spilling water downstream with the level of water in Lokoja downstream of the confluence standing at 8.69m.
“This value has exceeded the corresponding value of 8.57m that occurred on Aug. 29, 2012,” he said.
In a related development, the agency said the flooding that occurred in Kaduna on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 had started arriving Shiroro Dam built on River Kaduna.
“In the event that Shiroro Dam equally starts spilling water, it will portend more danger downstream.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that NIHSA had in May, released the 2018 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) for the 36 states of the country.
The outlook projected that Sokoto, Niger, Benue, Anambra, Ogun-Osun, Cross River and Yobe states would have high risks of river flooding.
It also indicated that Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Ondo states might experience coastal flooding.
The agency attributed this to a likely rise in the sea level and tidal surge, which would impact fishing and coastal transportation.
The outlook, which is a yearly projection by the agency, further indicated that flash and urban flood were expected to occur in Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Yola, Abuja, and Maiduguri.
Others are Awka, Abakaliki, Birnin-Kebbi, Kano, Yenogoa, Abeokuta, Ado-Ekiti, Lokoja, Lafia, Makurdi, Calabar, Jos, Owerri, Osogbo, Ilorin and Nsukka.
Gombe, Suleja, Karu, Nyanya, Abaji, Onitsha, Sapele, Hadejia and other major cities with poor drainage completed the list.
(NAN)
