Flooding: 2020‘ll Be Disastrous, NIHSA Warns

The Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) has predicted that there would be greater flooding with disastrous consequences this year, warning Nigerians to make adequate preparation against the raining season.
According to the 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) recently released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), February 24 and June 22 are the predicted onset of rainfall in the South-South and northern states, respectively, while the respective predicted cessation dates are December 28 and September 26. This implies that Nigeria is likely to experience longer period of rainy season in 2020 compared to year 2019.”
The Director General of NIHSA, Clement Onyeaso, gave the advice at the agency’s maiden press conference in Abuja, yesterday.
According to him, the raining season is fast approaching and the remaining days of the dry season is the best time to prepare against flooding so as to avoid the past reoccurrence.
He added that floods are caused by high intensity rainfall of long duration, inadequate drainage of low lying areas, silted channels, urbanisation and severe winds over water, unusual high tides, tsunamis, failure of dams, levees, retention ponds, or other structures that contain the water.
“Flooding problem is a global environmental issue which is faced by many countries worldwide, particularly in areas close to low lying terrains and river valleys.
“Over the past years, there have been increasing concerns that human actions and natural catastrophes have been adversely impacting the environment, posing serious ecological and environmental hazards.
“Though flood is a natural environmental phenomenon, but it can be greatly accelerated by human induced activities as it is the case worldwide.
“Thus, with the increasing global population and the expanding activities of man, it is believed that flooding will continue to persist and therefore there is the need to control human activities, environmental adjustment and purposefully adopting actions in certain areas that would make adjustment possible,” he said.
He, therefore, added that the 8th Edition of its Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) would be presented to the public in no distant time.