Cautions on high-risk flooding
Uncertain about flood being caused by released dams
Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), has alerted Nigerians to get prepared for severe rains in the coming days. He also predicted imminent high risk flooding, with the dams being let open, especially in the North Central, South East and South Western States. The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and Mr. Clement Nze, Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), issued these alerts while speaking with journalists at the opening ceremony of the Hydro-Meteorological status and outlook system (HydroSOS) workshop in Abuja on Tuesday.
• Uncertain about the floods being caused by released dams, Prof. Matazu said the flooding was the result of rainfall which might have reached its peak, noting that it could also be the result of opening of dams and inadequate maintenance of drainage facilities coupled with blockage by debris. Prof. Matazu said, “Remember, we issued the forecast in February and we followed up with the monthly updates that we’re going to have above normal rainfall in most parts of the country. So in terms of the rainfall induced floods, we’ve seen the peak but remember we told you that this rainwater gets collected into the reservoirs and dams, and whenever they are filled, it gets spilled. So, on the13th of September, the Lagbo Dam was released. And also Kainji and Shiroro dams were also released. So what we’re witnessing now is riverine flooding.” He added, “And from the information we’re getting from NIHSA, we’re going to see more floods. And now the rain is concentrating on the North Central and the southern states. So that will be a combination of short duration, high intensity rain, with riverine flooding. So we’re going to see more of these floods in the north central states as we are seeing in Kogi and also south eastern and southwestern states as we are beginning to see in a number of parts of South West.”
According to him, water-associated risks are going to intensify in the coming years as the full weight of climate change begin to bear on our earth. He explained, “In Africa, water-related hazards such as flood, drought etc has become a major cause of food insecurity, strains on livelihoods, health risks and conflicts in many parts of the continent.” The DG NIHSA further stressed that the flood that has happened was primarily caused by rainfall and not the released dams. He noted that the flooding are certain to happen partly due the fact that some people had built on flood plains which has given rise in water levels in the River Niger and Benue.
