Flood similar to that of 2012 may occur again, NEMA warns

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised communities along the River Niger to evacuate immediately to safer ground over the likelihood of floods that may occur at any moment from now.

Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, who gave the advice said the agency had received alerts on the flood from information given by the authorities in the Republic of Niger, that the present water level in the river had reached a point that may result in flood that could be compared with the unfortunate experience of 2012.

He said: “Niger Basin Authority (NBA) notified Nigeria that the rainy season, which started in the Middle Niger (Burkina Faso and Niger Republic) in June 2016, has led to a gradual rise of the level of River Niger in Niamey, Niger Republic.

“This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariably, to Nigeria.”

He further said that the level of water in all the hydrological monitoring stations across the country, as at Friday, 5th  August, 2016, had already  exceeded the corresponding values at that time, which was an alarming situation that required the prompt and coordinated action of all governments and stakeholders.

According to the information, “if the heavy rainfall continues in intensity and duration within these regions of the River Niger, it is imminent that flood situation similar to that of the year 2012 may occur.”