NiMET SAYS NIGERIA NORTH AND EASTERN STATE SHOULD BRACE FOR FLOODING

Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has said states in the North Central and South East in Nigeria should brace up for more flooding.

The director-general of NiMet, Prof Mansur Bako Matazu, stated this on the side line of the ongoing Hydro-meteorological status and outlook system (HydroSOS) in Abuja yesterday.

While commenting on the current flood impact across the country, Matazu said though flooding as a result of rainfall might have reached its peak, flooding as a result of opening of dams and other water holding facilities would still affect states in North Central and South East.

He said, “You 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 have 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 filled.

“So at present (13th September), the lagoon dam was released. Other dams were also released. So what we are witnessing now is riverine flooding. And from the information we are getting, we are going to see more flood. And now the rains 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. We are going to see more of these floods in the North Central states as we have seen in Kogi and also south eastern and south western states as we are beginning to see in Anambra and some of parts of Southwest.”