The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), has directed people living and farming around river banks to reduce water-based activities and move to the hinterland to avoid being flooded.
Garba Salihu, Overseeing Director General of NSEMA, gave the directives during a meeting with the 25 local government Desk Officers of the agency in Minna.
He explained that the meeting was based on the directive of the state Deputy Governor, Mr Yakubu Garba, who is also the Chairman of the agency to meet with desk officers and inform them of the impending flood.
“Our desk officers across 25 local governments are to carry this information to various flood-prone communities to pass the information on the impending disaster to them in good time
“They are also to establish contacts with traditional rulers to sensitize communities located on the transregional river Niger and Kaduna to steer clear of flood areas during this wet season,” he said.
Salihu said the flood outlook of the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NISHA) and the 2023 seasonal climate prediction by the Nigeria Metrological Agency (NiMET) had placed the state among higher-risk flood states.
He said violent water behavior would be experienced in some communities, hence the need for communities to take precautionary measures to mitigate against flooding.
He added that flood-prone communities were directed to move vulnerable groups such as women, children, and elderly people to resettlement sites and safer ground with immediate effect.
Salihu disclosed that the agency had started receiving reports of pockets of flash floods from some local government areas where farmlands had been washed away.
He directed the desk officers to establish synergy with local boat owners to enable the agency to coordinate rescue operations and evacuation as well as provide relief palliatives in cases of emergency.
He also urged people in urban cities to avoid dumping refuse in drains and culverts as well as desist from building structures on waterways to allow the free flow of water.
He disclosed that the agency would meet with flood disaster response stakeholders to come up with a flood emergency preparedness plan that would serve as a guide to respond to flood emergencies.
