The National Emergency Management Agency has raised the alarm that Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and 25 other states in the country may experience flooding this year due to impending heavy rainfall. The agency also said about 102 local government areas might be at risk of flooding as predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
The Director of Operations of NEMA in charge of Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states, Mr Olusegun Afolayan, said this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Friday while sensitising some residents of the town to how flooding could be avoided.
He said, “About 28 states and 102 local governments have been earmarked for possible flooding.
“There is a prediction from NiMeT in February, and the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency in May, informing us of impending heavy rainfall that will lead to flooding due to climate change and depletion of the ozone layer.”
According to Afolayan, the NEMA, in collaboration with the Ondo State Management Emergency Agency, organised the sensitisation as part of the agency’s proactiveness in responding to warning alerts by different weather agencies.
He said, “We sensitised the people to the need of not dropping waste in the gutter or along water paths.
“Those who built on flood plains should move away in order to avoid the imminent flooding that is likely to happen between the month of August and October.”
Also, the Secretary of SEMA in Ondo State, Mr Olufemi Obideyi, warned of the consequences of flooding.
“Flooding can cause cholera outbreak because if drinking water is affected, it will lead to a cholera outbreak, and we don’t want that to add to the coronavirus pandemic that the whole world is already battling with,” he said.
In its 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, NiMet earlier in the year said “a normal to above normal” rainfall was expected generally in the country.
“On flash floods, the normal to near normal rainfall pattern in the country does not rule out the possibility of isolated flash floods due to increasing high-intensity rainfall at the peak of the season, especially in areas that are naturally prone to flooding,” the agency said.
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency also in February warned that the lack of preparation for flooding during this year’s rainy season could have consequences. – Agency report .
