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Flooding as a disaster waiting to happen Mustapha Temidayo
The rains are here again. Rather than being a blessing, the rains have become a curse to many Nigerians, especially to coastal states and communities living along the bank of Rivers Niger and Benue. The federal government has issued a flood alert. Will the 2021 predictions go the way of others? TONY AKOWE reports
Since the devastating flood in Nigeria in 2012, it has become important for the government and its agency to make an annual forecast of possible flood and its impact in the country annually. Since the first forecast was made in 2013, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, working with other government agencies, has consistently warned the nation of impending flood across the country and in most cases, the intensity of such flood. Unfortunately, warnings by the agencies have often been ignored by both the people and state governments and their agencies. This year, the government has said not les
A water resource expert, Razak Jimoh, has said that Nigeria currently lacks dam capacity to properly arrest floods and prevent loss of produce as the current budgetary allocations to the sector are inadequate.
He said the N475.6 billion estimated for the execution of the nation’s water sector is not enough, hence the abandonment of critical projects. Jimoh made this known during a two-day capacity building workshop in Abuja.
He said: “Some of the critical projects meant for control of floods and management of water resources have been on the drawing board for years, but lacking attention due to lack of funds may spell doom for Nigeria, especially in the areas of destruction of crops and a reduction in dry season farming.