The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) has advised communities being ravaged by flood yearly to relocate to safer and higher ground.

Director-General of NSEMA, Ibrahim Inga, said this at a stakeholder meeting on the Implication of 2021 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Minna on Wednesday.

The head of operations of NEMA in Minna, Zainab Sa’idu, said the agency and stakeholders brainstormed on ways to mitigate the predicted flooding in Niger State by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET).

The 2021 forecast of NiMET predicts a normal to the above-normal volume of rainfall across the country.

In Niger state, 13 local government areas have been identified as highly and moderately probable flood risk areas.

The local government areas identified are Magama, Suleja, Katcha, Munya, Edati, Gbako, Agaie, Bosso, Wushishi, Chanchaga, Shiroro, Rafi and Lapai.

While addressing the meeting, Ms Sa’idu said that the agency had invited the stakeholders to discuss their preparedness, mitigation and response plans.

She said that NiMET’s prediction of rainfall was an early warning mechanism to alert people of the impending danger of flood and to allow stakeholders to find ways to forestall its effects.

According to her, the meeting is aimed at finding the best possible ways to save lives and property should the prediction become reality.

“It will also enable deliberation on high and safer grounds for possible pitching of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps by the state government in the event of flooding,” she said.

In his goodwill message, the director-general of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Ibrahim Inga, advised communities being ravaged by flood yearly to relocate to safer and higher ground.

Mr Inga, represented by Hussaini Ibrahim of the agency, called for sensitisation and capacity building of persons in the impacted flood communities.

According to Mr Inga, the effectiveness of the people at-risk communities and IDPs will enable them to adapt and live with the risk factors that comes with floods.

Stakeholders at the meeting included the state’s Fire Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Army, Red Cross and members from flood-prone communities.