Perennial flood disasters have resulted in colossal loss of property and livelihood in Nigeria, with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) estimating the loss at over N2.6 trillion.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Senator Kabiru Gaya while presenting a motion he sponsored alongside with Senator Stella Oduah and 102 other Senators, made this known at Senate sitting on Thursday.
The recent flooding across the country occasioned by torrential rains that unleashed havoc in different parts of the country over the past few months, claimed hundreds of lives and damaged thousands of homes.
So far, the floods ravaged 34 states including Kebbi, Cross River, Enugu, Kwara, Lagos, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, Jigawa, Taraba, Rivers, Katsina, Gombe, Imo, Bauchi and Akwa lbom states.
Others are Ogun, Anambra, Niger, Katsina, Kwara, Adamawa, Edo, Kano, Benue, Delta, Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Ebonyi,Enugu, Nasarawa, Bayelsa and Osun states.
Senator Gaya observed that in the last three decades, the impacts of flooding have increasingly assumed from significant to threatening proportions, resulting in loss of lives and properties.
“Though detailed statistics are not available regarding the losses sustained by the urban dwellers and flood victims, it is obvious from the available records that irreparable loss have been sustained by the citizen of Nigeria due to what has become perennial natural disaster in our cities.
“Apart from houses (built with mud brick, traditional building materials of the area and those not built with modern flood resistant structure) that collapse by flooding, schools, buildings and bridges sometimes collapse as well. Market places and farmlands are submerged for weeks and sometimes are washed away.
“The recurring annual floods in Nigeria especially arising from the release of flood waters from various dams in Nigeria have caused avoidable loss of lives in many communities across the country.
“These perennial flood disaster have also resulted in colossal loss of property and livelihood, with NEMA estimating the loss at over 2.6 trillion Naira to the menace,” Gaya stated.
He said the Senate is aware that the attendant loss of lives and livelihood from the avoidable floods has led to dislocations and loss of future direction for the impacted families, and that these flood disasters have worsened the crises of internally displaced persons.
He further stated that the Senate is concerned that these perennial floods have over the years caused widespread and irreparable damage to the various ecosystems along the impacted areas, with some flora and fauna lost forever, and that the floods have also introduced several strange vegetation that not only choke native flora, but are usually difficult to control.
Senate was also concerned that these floods have over the years resulted in permanent devastation of vast stretches of arable lands nationwide.
After due consideration of Gaya’s motion, Senate urged NEMA to send relief materials to affected victims of flood across states of the federation, and urged federal government to convene a stakeholders meeting to ex-ray the recurring situation with the view to proffering a lasting solution to flood disasters.
The Senate also urged the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to rehabilitate existing dams to be able to take in flood waters.
Tag: Flood
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Nigeria loses over N2.6 trillion to perennial flood
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Nigeria may experience shortage of rice in 2019 – Ogbeh
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, says if appropriate measures were not taken to replant after the recent flood, the country may be in serious trouble with rice production.
Ogbeh disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the inauguration of National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) Molecular Facility and the 2018 seed fair and Farmer’s field day.
He said that the flood had affected some major rice producing states, adding that the country might experience scarcity of rice, if not addressed.
“We have to find out a way to assist farmers, who were affected by the flood; places like Jigawa, Kebbi, Anambra and Kogi were majorly affected. Farmers lost everything they planted.
“There are different varieties of rice that are being produced at NASC like faro 66 and 67 which are flood tolerant.
“We hope to get them into the field in large quantity for farmers to plant in the near future.
“We are also hoping that as soon as the rain seized, we are encouraging farmers to replant so that the residual moisture on the soil plus irrigation can give us another crop by the end of December or early January.
“Otherwise, we will be in serious trouble for rice, millet, sorghum and maize next year,” he said.
The Minister expressed his pleasure and honour to be given the opportunity to chair this year’s Seed Fair and Farmers’ Field Day and inaugurate the NASC Molecular Laboratory.
“ It is quite heartwarming to note that NASC has over the years kept faith in its drive to ensure the availability of quality seeds to farmers.
“Also, this event is being used as a platform for creating awareness among our great farmers and the farming communities to showcase the different improved crop varieties that can enhance the productivity and increase national food security.
Also peaking, Dr Philip Ojo, the Director-General, NASC, said that the 2018 event was opened with a Road Walk from the Federal Secretariat to the Minister of Agriculture.
“This was followed by a Symposium. All the events were geared towards creating improved seeds awareness among our great farmers and the farming communities, especially in the Federal Capital Territory.
“I wish to state categorically that improved seed use is the most cost effective means of enhancing agricultural productivity.
“It is important to inform you all that between the 2017 and 2018, a lot of successes have been achieved in the Nigerian Seed industry.
“NASC collaborations with other stakeholders have started yielded positive results such as the NASC Molecular Facility that will soon be inaugurated.
“The facility which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the BASICS Programme will help in the development of the Cassava Seed System in the country and enhance productivity,” he said.
The director-general appealed for more support from the state governors in order to step up the agency’s regulatory activities to rid the market of fake and adulterated seeds.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the yearly event has: “Enhancing Improved Seed Adoption towards achieving Food Security and Wealth Creation,” as its theme for 2018.
NAN also reports fake seeds confiscated by the council were burnt by the Minister, during the event. (NAN) -
Flood: Okowa appeals for more relief materials
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Tuesday appealed to the Federal Government, the organised private sector and individuals to deploy more relief materials to assuage the suffering of flood victims in the state.
The governor made the appeal when he visited the Holding Camps in Patani Local Government Area of the state, to ascertain how the victims were fairing.
He said that adequate manpower had been deployed to the camps adding that the demands of the victims had risen as many of them continued to seek refuge.
“We have been to several camps and you can see that members of the flood committee are working round the clock.
“In this camp, we have more than 1, 500 people and there are several camps set up in this area because out of the 16 communities, 11 are under water which is a sad situation.
“Every other town that I have visited the Holding Camps are in one school or the other, but the schools in this area have been submerged.
“The water may take time to recede; I just hope the Federal Government will urgently intervene to complement what we are doing as a state.
“I must thank all the people of Delta, touched and have donated one relief material or the other to assist the victims of the flood.
“I call on the organised private sector and individuals to please, if you have an extra, come to the aide of these victims,” Okowa said.
The governor commended the people of Patani LGA for their cooperation and unity of purpose and for constructing temporary structures at the camps to make the victims comfortable.
“I am impressed with the level of organisation in this camp; it is neat despite the sad development.
“The people are facing the reality of the fact that they may not get to their communities for some time.
“Certainly, we will continue to do our best for them to be comfortable, the medical team is okay and with the registration of individual families.
“We shall work out how best to get them resettled when the flood water recedes.
“This is a time we should be our brother’s keepers.“
The Commissioner, Bureau for Special Duties, Mr Ernest Ogwezzy, who conducted the governor round the camp said that the population of people in different camps were on the increase.
He traced the development to the fact that the water level had continued to submerge communities.
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Flood hits 8 LGAs in Kano state
Kano State Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SERERA) says it has dispatched personnel to eight local government areas of the state recently affected by flood to assessing the damage caused by the disaster in the areas.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Alhaji Ali Bashir, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Thursday.
He said the team had visited seven out of the eight local government areas concerned to compile report on the situation.
Bashir listed the local government areas as: Rimin Gado, Tofa, Dawakin Tofa, Gwarzo, Danbatta, Kabo, Gezawa and Gabasawa.
“The team has so far visited and assessed the situation in Rimin Gado, Danbatta, Gezawa, Gwarzo, Tofa, Dawakin Tofa and Kabo local government areas.
“As I am talking to you now, we are in Gabasawa Local Government Area, assessing the damage caused by the flooding in the area,” he said.
Bashir, who declined to state the number of people affected by the disaster, said after the assessment, the agency would make a comprehensive report for onward submission to the state government.
“We cannot give you the exact number of persons or houses affected until after we finish the assignment.”
According to him, the agency is still receiving reports of the disaster from other areas prone to flood.
NAN reports that no fewer than three people were reported to have died and several houses destroyed in Kiru Local Government Area of the state, following a heavy rainfall on Monday
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Agency raises flood alert, warns Nigerians living by banks of River Niger
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has warned Nigerians living by the banks of River Niger and its floodplains to immediately relocate over possible flooding.
The agency gave the warning on Wednesday in Abuja in a statement signed by Mr Clement Nze, the agency’s Director of Engineering Hydrology.
Nze named the states likely to be affected to include Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Anambra, Delta and Bayelsa.
He said the middle Niger portion of the Niger basin (Niger Republic) experienced high flows last week with the flood advancing into the Lower Niger (Nigeria).
NIHSA noted that both Kainji and Jebba Dams were already spilling water downstream with the level of water in Lokoja downstream of the confluence standing at 8.69m.
“This value has exceeded the corresponding value of 8.57m that occurred on Aug. 29, 2012,” he said.
In a related development, the agency said the flooding that occurred in Kaduna on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 had started arriving Shiroro Dam built on River Kaduna.
“In the event that Shiroro Dam equally starts spilling water, it will portend more danger downstream.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that NIHSA had in May, released the 2018 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) for the 36 states of the country.
The outlook projected that Sokoto, Niger, Benue, Anambra, Ogun-Osun, Cross River and Yobe states would have high risks of river flooding.
It also indicated that Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Ondo states might experience coastal flooding.
The agency attributed this to a likely rise in the sea level and tidal surge, which would impact fishing and coastal transportation.
The outlook, which is a yearly projection by the agency, further indicated that flash and urban flood were expected to occur in Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Yola, Abuja and Maiduguri.
Others are Awka, Abakaliki, Birnin-Kebbi, Kano, Yenogoa, Abeokuta, Ado-Ekiti, Lokoja, Lafia, Makurdi, Calabar, Jos, Owerri, Osogbo, Ilorin and Nsukka.
Gombe, Suleja, Karu, Nyanya, Abaji, Onitsha, Sapele, Hadejia and other major cities with poor drainage completed the list.
The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, while presenting the outlook, explained that going by the 2018 AFO, water levels on the River Niger and Benue among other major river system, would rise and remain high during the rainy season.
He raised concern that some dams in the country were getting silted up, with the storage capacity also reducing.
He said this would cause a lot of the water to be spilled through the waterways.
Also, on July 15, 2018, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), had warned that many parts of the country were likely to experience flooding due to a shift in rainfall pattern caused by climate change.
NIMET DG, Prof Sani Mashi, while giving the warning, said that distortions had occurred in the pattern of rainfall leading to variation in the amount of rain expected in the country.
He explained that in line with NIMET’s 2018 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, SRP, so much water would be made available on the surface between the last week of July and end of August.
According to him, once it rains, the ground cannot comfortably contain and absorb the water making it to run-off and resulting in so much water on the surface.
“Unless adequate provision is made to accommodate the amount of water that is running on the surface, definitely the likelihood of flood is going to be very high, especially in the areas that are adjoining the riverine locations,’’ he warned.
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Flood destroyed over 50 houses in Kebbi – Official
More than 50 houses were destroyed in Dakingari town in Suru Local Government area of Kebbi on Monday night by heavy downpour that resulted to flooding.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the late hour rain rendered many people homeless in the town.
Alhaji Rabiu Kamba, the Executive Director of the State Emergency Management Agency, told NAN in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday that no death was recorded so far.
“So far, we have not recorded any death, but over 50 houses were destroyed by the late night rain,’’ he said.
According to Kamba, officials from the agency have visited the affected area to assess the damage done by the rain.
“We are collating data to report back to the state government for possible assistance to the victims,’’ he said.
Kamba warned residents against using contaminated water from their wells as the wells had been contaminated by the flood.
“We will report the situation to the state ministry of health for prompt action and necessary measures,’’ he said.
(NAN)
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Breaking: Monsoon floods claim 39 lives
Floods in India’s Southern State of Kerala have claimed 39 lives and caused a loss of 1.1 billion dollars, officials said on Monday.
This is as the region braces for more rains during one of its worst monsoon seasons in a century.
As many as 33,372 people evacuated from villages in low-lying areas were housed in 305 state-run relief camps, officials in the state disaster management control room said.
The death toll had climbed to 39 since the heavy rains hit the state on Aug. 8, with the fatalities reported in accidents like drowning and landslides.
Officials said that five more people were still missing.
The heavy rains have ravaged the state, destroying highways and crops across over 1,000 hectares of farmland.
State Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said Kerala was in the midst of the “second worst flood after 1924,’’ with 10 out of 14 districts severely affected and authorities forced to release water from 27 major dams.
“The impact of the disaster is likely to be felt for a long time.
“Preliminary assessment indicates [sic] that nearly 20,000 houses have been fully damaged and nearly 10,000 kilometres of state roads damaged,’’ his office said on Twitter.
It put preliminary costs as a result of the severe weather at 80.3 billion rupees.
The rains eased on Sunday but state agencies were on high alert as the weather office has forecast “heavy to very heavy’’ rainfall till on Wednesday in many parts of Kerala.
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Photos: Osinbajo, Adeosun, others inspect Abeokuta flood
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has arrived Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, for the on-the-spot assessment of last week Friday’s flood in which no fewer than eleven lives were lost and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun who was recently embroiled in NYSC certificate scandal and has been avoiding public glare was also on the Vice President’s entourage.
The helicopter that brought them to the capital city touched down at the Oke Mosan, Governor’s office arcade at 4.30pm.
The Vice President and his team were received by the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, some cabinet members and security chiefs.
Details later…
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Death toll rises to 90 as landslides, floods engulf Nepal
Five people were killed in Nepal on Wednesday by landslides and flooding brought on by monsoon rains, bringing the death toll to 90 across the country.
“A woman and her two children, one of them an infant, were killed when a landslide struck their home in a village in north-central Nepal’s Gorkha district,’’ local Police Officer, Mahendra Nepal, said.
Parbat Police Officer, Rabindra Kumar Shrestha, said in the district of Parbat, a teenage boy was buried alive and a man was swept away by a flooded river after a landslide engulfed seven houses.
According to Nepal’s Home Ministry, over 55 people have been injured and 18 have gone missing in the monsoon-induced disasters in last one month.
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Buhari mourns, pledges support as death toll in Katsina flood rises to 44
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, expressed his sadness and concern about the devastation caused by floods in his home state, Katsina, and other parts of the country.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President pledged the Federal Government’s support for the victims of the disaster.
Buhari said he had been saddened to observe the devastation and loss of lives caused by the floods in Katsina State and other parts of the federation.
He said he had accordingly directed the National Emergency Management Agency to do everything that would bring succour to the victims wherever they were.
“As rescue and prevention efforts continue, let me express the sincere condolences of my family, the government and people of Nigeria to all the victims of the destruction by the floods.
“Let me assure you that we stand ready to provide, within available resources, every assistance that is needed to bring comfort to those in distress,” the President said.
Governor Aminu Masari on Monday evening confirmed that 44 lives were lost while 20 people were missing in the overnight rainstorm that ravaged Katsina State border town of Jibia.
The rainstorm reportedly started about 11 pm on Sunday and it lasted over two hours.
The governor, who made the disclosure at a press conference in Katsina, said he had never seen such a disaster in his life.
He said, “You need to go there, it was a real disaster. As of the time we left Jibia, no less than 44 people were confirmed dead while over 500 houses were completely damaged.
“I have informed the President about the incident and he has called to sympathise with the people.
“As a government, we shall find permanent solutions to the problem.
“We know Jibia is a flood-prone area and we build drainage. But what happened was that instead of water to flow to the river through the drainage, water from the river was flowing back into the drainage, thereby causing the flooding during the rainstorm.
“We are going to redirect the water flow and I have passed out necessary instructions.
“We have also taken measures to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims.
“The National Emergency Management Agency has also been duly informed and they are sending relief materials to the victims.”
The Executive Secretary, Katsina State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Aminu Waziri, had earlier said, “What we are doing presently is to find temporary accommodation for those whose houses have been washed away or damaged. We must provide them where they can put their heads for heaven may open up again.”
“Sympathisers from our neighbouring country, Niger, helped us fished out two bodies from their river.”
Sources said that the rainstorm also damaged farms, while over 260 livestock including cattle, sheep and goats were killed.
The sources said areas that were badly affected included Tundun Takari, Dan Tudu, Unguwar kwakwa and Unguwar Mai Kwari.