Nigeria could experience more flooding soon, warns the Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Clement Nze, urging citizens to brace up.

He said a combination of climate change factors, population growth, urbanisation, economic development and poor drainage systems was responsible for the impending disaster.

Mr Nze made the disclosure on Friday while making a presentation at a webinar organised by the Nigerian Institute of Water Engineers.

He explained that changes in climate precipitation, river change flow regime and rise in sea level would increase the likelihood of floods in the country.

The theme of the presentation is: “Overview of 2021 Annual flood Outlook (AFO): Update on Flooding Situation in The Country.”

“As the rainy season advances, more states in the country have started experiencing floods; this agrees with the flood scenarios presented in the 2021 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO).

“Some of the states that have already experienced floods in 2021 are Lagos, Taraba, Ekiti, Kwara, Ondo and Delta and which were accompanied by heavy rainfalls and strong winds.

“The Lagos situation is made worse by the rising sea level from Arctic ice melting in the last decade,” Mr Nze explained.

The expert said the situation is not peculiar to Nigeria alone as other nations of the world are also experiencing similar climate challenges.

“In July alone, Europe, Germany, and Belgium are reported to have experienced intense rainstorms swelling streams that have washed away houses and vehicles, triggering massive landslides,” he said.

Mr Nze stated that NIHSA had made efforts towards improving flood forecasting and management through the publication of the Annual Flood Outlook (AFO).

He said the public was engaged on flood sensitisation workshops, updating hydrological database and improving on the hydrological modelling system.

“Installation of Flood Early Warning and Alerts System, at some identified flood hotspots around the country,” are some of the agency’s activities highlighted by Mr Nze.

He added that legislation enforcement and review of environmental Laws, enforcement and review of housing, land use, urban and regional planning rules and regulations were urgent measures needed to be taken into consideration to control the risk of further flooding in the country.

(NAN)