Four out of Katsina’s 34 local government areas (LGAs) are at risk of possible flooding this year, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said.

The coordinator of NEMA’s North-West office, Abbani Imam-Garki, gave the warning at a one-day stakeholders meeting held in Katsina on Tuesday.

He said the prediction was recently announced by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).

“As you know, the above agencies have predicted that heavy downpour may likely affect some parts of the country, including Katsina state.

“In Katsina, the LGAs predicted to be affected are Katsina, Kaita, Kankara, and Jibia. Already, Katsina, Bindawa, Kankara and Sabuwa have begun to experience this flooding.

“The other 30 LGAs in the state fall under the moderate areas to be affected by the flood this rainy season.

“Recently, there was a heavy downpour which affected some of these LGAs with injuries, loss of lives and properties and farmlands worth millions of naira,” he said.

Over 1,500 houses were recently affected and two lives lost due to floods in some parts of the state.

Mr Imam-Garki said the stakeholders meeting was on early warning information so that necessary preventive measures could be put in place.

“This will assist in preventing the flooding. Where we cannot prevent, we mitigate, that is, reduce the impact of the flooding to the barest minimum.

“We recommend that the state government should take this information to the frontline LGAs so that they should be prepared to prevent or reduce its impact.

“The stakeholders should be reactivated in terms of personnel for effective emergency responses.

“We also want the state government to identify a higher ground which will be part of a safer ground in case the flood happens and people can be evacuated,” he said.

Also speaking, the executive secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Babangida Lawal, said the meeting was timely, considering the heavy rain being experienced in the state.

He commended NEMA for the meeting, saying that the state government was doing its best to prevent flooding where possible.

Mr Lawal added that necessary measures had been put in place to reduce the impact on the people where the government can not prevent it.