Akwa Ibom and 19 Nigerian States are at risk of possible flooding due to excess rainfall, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has alerted.
States prone to high-risk flooding in September include Kebbi and Jigawa in the Northwest, Borno, Bauchi and Taraba in the Northeast, Plateau in north central and Bayelsa in the South-South.
Others are Kano, Adamawa, Rivers, Cross River, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Oyo and Ekiti.
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The agency said its warning was based on the rainfall distribution and rainfall amounts recorded in the country last month.
In a statement he issued last night, NiMet spokesperson, Muntari Ibrahim said, ‘‘The saturated state of the soil moisture across the country in the month of July and heavy rainfall recorded in August may put most places to experience varying degrees of flooding activities ranging from high, medium, low and flash flood for the month of September.
It further revealed that Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kano, Borno, Gombe and Nasarawa States recorded over 300mm, which represents over 40 percent of long-term normal of those places in one month.
“Places around the southwestern part of the country however recorded less than 200mm as a result of the long dry spell associated with August break over those areas,” he said.
Ibrahim stated that places with major river channels may experience probable high-risk of flood events due to accumulation of water already on the river channels which may not be able to contain any additional water.
However, NiMet advised that State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) should intensify adaptative, mitigative and response mechanisms while states that are expected to experience degrees of various flood episodes are advised to begin their awareness campaigns through field extension workers for possible flood activities within the month of September especially those at high risk areas.
Meanwhile, NiMET, in its Facebook, said ‘‘During the forecast period (the next 96hours), Heavy rainfall is expected over parts of Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger State (See places in Red colour).
‘‘While Moderate to Heavy rainfall is expected over Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Kaduna, Bauchi, the FCT, Plateau, Gombe, Nasarawa, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Cross River, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Rivers and Akwa Ibom State (See places in Orange colour).
‘‘However, Low to moderate rainfall is expected over places in Yellow colour. While light or no rains are expected over the rest of the country (See places in Green colours).
NiMET cautioned ‘‘On the second and third days (7th and 8th September 2022), there are high chances of flash flooding of roads, farmlands, and low-lying settlements and river channels especially over parts of northern and central cities due to the expected moderate to heavy rainfall.
‘‘Furthermore, strong winds and thunderstrikes are also expected to accompany the rains, especially over parts of Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi and Kwara State during the forecast period.
‘‘Hence, the public is advised to avoid low-lying terrains, refrain from standing under trees and unsecured structures during the rain and avoid contact with metallic objects during thunderstorms to avoid electric shock.
‘‘Most importantly, the public is also to be prepared for this event to avoid damage from weather-related hazards and watch out for updates.’’
(leadership.ng)
