The Federal Government has warned Nigerians that 148 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 31 states of the federation, fall within the high flood-risk areas.
The warning was given by the Minister of Water Resources, Prof Joseph Utsev while presenting the general highlights of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Abuja.
Utsev explained that the annual flood outlook serves as a comprehensive guide to mitigate the impact of floods on communities across the country.
The minister in his presentation of the Annual Flood Outlook report listed the 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.
The floods are expected between April and November ,2024
A further breakdown of the Annual Flood Outlook presented by the minister shows that part of the 148 LGAs in 31 states of the federation fall within the high flood risk areas, while part of the 249 LGAs in 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), fall within the moderate flood risk areas.
He, however, did not list the areas under the moderate-risks flooding.