The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has indicated that a heavy flood might hit the Federal Capital Territory, Rivers state, Bayelsa, and others starting from September 6.
The Director-General of NIHSA, Clement Nze, when disclosing this to newsmen on Tuesday, August 25 said the Middle Niger of the River Niger Basin is presently in a flood and the level of the flood from that area is likely to arrive in Nigeria through Kebbi State from September 6, 2020.
He revealed that parts of 275 local government areas in the 36 states of the country, including Abuja, were within the range of the moderately probable flood risk areas, while the remaining 397 local government areas were within the low probable flood risks areas.
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Nze disclosed that at least 102 local government areas in 28 states are within the highly probable flood risk areas. He added that River Niger Basin covered nine countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria which is at the lowest portion of the basin.
“The red alert points to imminent river flooding in Nigeria. Both the Kainji and Jebba dams have commenced spilling water downstream.
This means that once the upper catchment of the basin gets flooded, Nigeria should be prepared to experience flooding incidents.
As of today, the Middle Niger of the Niger Basin made up of Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso and part of Mali, have been flooded. The flood levels at the hydrological stations monitored in Niamey and Malanville (Benin Republic) have got to the red alert zone.
Latest information received by the NIHSA from the regional Niger Basin Authority headquarters in Niamey had it that as of Sunday, August 23, 2020, the flood level of the River Niger monitored in Niamey was 6.60 metres.”
He also added that with the present development, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Rivers, and Bayelsa are the States that might experience heavy flooding from around September 6, 2020.
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