Agency highlights measures to mitigate flood menace

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) on Tuesday in Abuja highlighted some measures to mitigate flooding situations in the country.

The Director-General of the agency, Dr Moses Beckley, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He called for the enhancement of systems for flood monitoring, flood forecasting and flood early warning, construction of new dykes, flood-walls, buffer dams and water retaining structures to control flood in Nigeria.

NAN reports that the agency released this year`s flood forecast to Nigerians so as to be prepare them to devise ways of cushioning the effects of the environmental problem.

According to Beckley, with the general outlook of the flood situation, provided in the 2016 forecast, it has become necessary that an early warning system and mitigation measures be put in place.

He said this would reduce likely flood hazards in all the identified – High Risk and Moderate Risk Flood areas of the country.

He advised that refuse, weeds, water hyacinths, and floats on water channels and on all avenues for river run-offs should be removed.

He opined that prompt sensitisation of the public on information in the 2016 flood outlook publication as a flood early warning, and flood disaster would serve as preventive measures to mitigate natural disasters.

Beckley, therefore, urged the federal, state and local governments to consider the dredging and clearing of drains and canals, and to embark on projects for enhancing hydraulic conveyance of surface run-offs during peak flows.

“Improvement of organisation system at different levels to combat flood disaster from the federal to state to local government and to community levels will go a long way to tackle flood issues in Nigeria.

“Effective and efficient operation and maintenance of hydraulic structures such as dams, reservoirs and water-related infrastructure across the country should also be considered an important task by the government at all levels, “ he said.

He, however, advised that people living along the water ways and those who are having socio-economic activities on the flood plains be relocated by the government.

NAN also reports that NIHSA had during its 2016 Annual Flood Outlook listed Niger, Benue, Sokoto-Rima, Anambra-Imo, Cross River, Niger Delta, Komadougu-Yobe, Ogun-Osun and several other sub-basins as flood prone areas. (NAN)