Floods: Rivers, 11 Others Get Alert

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike (2nd left), his Deputy, Dr (Mrs)Ipalibo Harry- Banigo (left), Archbishop Ignatius Kattey (2nd right) and his wife, in a group photograph after a courtesy call in Government House, Port Harcourt. yesterday

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), has alerted 12 States on the impending flooding, saying, it is monitoring flooding in the country at the backdrop of alert that Cameroon will release excess water from its Lagdo dam.
Director-General of the agency, Mr Moses Beckley, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen yesterday  in Abuja.
Prior to Cameroon’s notice, NIHSA had in its 2015 ‘’Annual Flood Outlook’’, predicted that 12 States in the country would witness huge flood during the year.
The states, according to the report, are Niger, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Anambra, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kogi and Benue.
The agency had advised that measures be put in place to reduce hazards that may arise from the flood.
Beckley said that NIHSA had hydrological stations in strategic places across the country to monitor water levels.
The agency was monitoring the release of water from the Cameroonian dam as well as flood-prone areas in the country to salvage any hazard, maintaining that the organisation had capacity to do so.
“We actually have hydrological stations spread all over the country from where we collect data on river levels in collaboration with NIMET.
“We also have gaze readers that are attached to our zonal offices to help in the monitoring of these stations from where they feed the zonal offices and headquarters.
“At the moment, we will have loved to have these stations in some other strategic points in the country but for lack of fund,’’ Beckley said.