Over 33k persons in 10 states affected by flood this year, says NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says about 33,983 persons have been affected by the 2023 flooding in different parts of the country.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Fatima Kasim, NEMA’s director of planning, research and forecasting, said the agency has been gathering data on persons impacted by the flooding incidents in the last seven months.

She said that flooding, which has become an annual event in the country, is mostly caused by factors such as improper building, poor infrastructure design and construction, bad drainage systems, lack of solid waste management, and harmful land-use practices, among others.

Kasim said the 2023 seasonal climate prediction released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had predicted normal to above-normal rainfall patterns for the country.

She added that the annual flood outlook released by the  Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) also forecasted that 178 LGAs in 32 states and the federal capital territory (FCT) are within the high-risk areas.

“As of August 9, the following data has been collated in respect of the 2023 flooding,” she said.

“The number of states affected – 10 states; the number of persons affected – 33,983; the number of persons displaced – 7,353; the number of persons injured – 75; the number of deaths – 5; number of houses totally damaged – 1,679 and farmlands totally damaged – 866 hectares.”

Mustapha Ahmed, NEMA director-general, said the agency considered it imperative to resuscitate the emergency coordination forum meeting to give adequate attention to disaster management.

“The emergency coordination forum is an avenue for stakeholders to come together to discuss humanitarian challenges being faced by the citizens as a result of disasters and emergencies,” Ahmed said.

“This is to foster partnership, collaboration and cooperation among relevant stakeholders in emergency management in the country.”

Also speaking, Clement Nze, NIHSA director-general, disclosed that not less than 20 states and the FCT had experienced one degree of flooding or the other this year.

According to Nze, the disaster affected over 46 LGAs with several casualties recorded and houses submerged.

He added that most of the flood incidents recorded were a result of overflow of silted rivers, channels and poor or blocked drainage systems.