NiMet Warns Nigerians To Prepare For More Flooding 

Matazu contends that rainfall, not the breached dams, was the main cause of the flood.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

The following information from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has cautioned Nigerians to expect further flooding in the coming days (NIHSA).

The warning was given in Abuja during a workshop on the Hydro-meteorological Status and Outlook System by NiMet Director General, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu (HydroSOS).

This occurs as the number of fatalities from the flood that ravaged several states in the nation reaches 500.

Matazu indicated that there will be additional floods while identifying the region of the nation that will be most impacted and the fact that neighboring nations had left their dams open.

The DG warned, “from the information we’re getting from NIHSA we’re going to see more floods. The rain is now concentrating more 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 SouthEastern and Southwestern states.

“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 spilt. So, the Lagbo Dam was released on 13th of September. And also Kainji and Shiroro dams were released. So what we’re witnessing now is riverine flooding.

“And from the information 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 we’re going to see more of these floods in the north-central states as we are seeing in Kogi and also southeastern and southwestern states as we are beginning to see in many parts of the South- West.

“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.”

According to Matazu, the devastating flooding that occurred in Nigeria was mostly due to the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, not the dams that had been released. He continued by saying that building on flood plains and the rising water levels in the Rivers Niger and Benue had made this situation worse.