The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency has warned that 27 states across the country may be affected by floods this year.
The agency said 25 states had already experienced different levels of flood, as it advised people living in flood prone areas to evacuate such locations in order to avoid being caught up by flash floods.
NIHSA, in its Annual Flood Outlook for 2015, said findings revealed that most states in Nigeria would be hit by flood this year, as it stressed that the situation may be severe due to the heavy rains experienced in many parts of the country.
The Director-General, NIHSA, Mr. Moses Beckley, in a document obtained by our correspondent in Abuja on Monday, said the rise in sea levels and ocean surges had already caused flooding in some coastal areas.
He said, “NIHSA, in fulfillment of its statutory mandate, which includes amongst other functions, the responsibility of monitoring all rivers in Nigeria as well as the Trans-boundary Rivers of Niger and Benue, released to the public in June, 2015 its Annual Flood Outlook for the year.
“The summary of the outlook showed that about 27 states are likely to be affected by flood in 2015. As we get to the peak of the rainy season, series of flood incidences have been reported at different levels of severity in about 25 states across the country.
“Some coastal areas including Ondo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Lagos States experienced coastal flooding due to rise in sea level and tidal/ocean surges. Flash and urban floods were also experienced in some urban locations such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Birnin Kebbi, Ibadan and adjoining settlements.”
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas which may be caused by heavy rainfall associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm, or melt-water from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields.
The agency, however, regretted that the floods experienced in about 25 states gave 80 per cent accuracy to its earlier prediction, adding that this could have been prevented or further mitigated had land use/town planning were adhered to and drainage systems well maintained.
