The Federal Government has outlined 31 states of the federation that will likely witness heavy flooding in 2024.
The Minister of Water Resources, Prof Joseph Utsev, revealed in Abuja that there are 148 Local Government Areas in 31 states of the federation that are at high risk of flooding.
Truetells Nigeria reports that Utsev presented this information during the discussion of the general highlights of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, which was prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
Utsev specifically mentioned the states that are considered high flood-risk areas, including Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe.
These floods are expected to occur between April and November 2024.
Additionally, the minister stated that a portion of the 249 Local Government Areas in 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are categorized as moderate flood risk areas.
The Minister, nonetheless, failed to enumerate the regions susceptible to moderate-risks flooding.
Despite Nigeria’s recurring seasonal flooding, the floods in 2022 have been the most severe since the 2012 floods.
It has been reported that the 2022 flood impacted 33 out of Nigeria’s 36 states, resulting in the displacement of over two million individuals,