The National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), says 49 people have so far been killed and 41, 344 others displaced in floods occasioned by heavy rains in three states of Nigeria.
Spokesperson of NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel, who disclosed this said the three states ; Jigawa, Adamawa and Taraba, were hard hit by floods.
“We are just entering into the peak of the season, particularly in the northern part of the country and the situation is very dire,” Ezekiel said.
The floods have also destroyed farmlands, affecting around 693 hectares of agricultural land.
Nigeria is battling double-digit inflation which has been stoked by high food prices.
Heavy rains have added to problems in the farming sector where farmers are deserting their farms in the northeast due to repeated attacks by militants.
The government in this year’s flood outlook said 31 of the country’s 36 states were at risk of experiencing “high flood”.
“We also have information about the high tide in the upper countries of the River Niger before Nigeria.
“All of these are flowing towards Nigeria. We are beginning to see a manifestation of our predictions,” Ezekiel said.
The Nigerian Hyrodological Services Agency (NIHSA) in the year 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, predicted that 31 states with 148 local government areas are to be within the high flood risk areas, while 35 states including FCT with 249 LGAs are considered to fall within the moderate flood risk areas, and the remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted for the low flood risk areas.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
