The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has revealed that a total of 33,983 individuals have already been impacted by this year’s flood across various regions of the country.
This information was conveyed by Fatima Kasim, the Director of Planning, Research, and Forecasting at NEMA, during the Emergency Coordination Forum Meeting held in Abuja on Thursday.
Kasim acknowledged that flooding has become a recurring issue in Nigeria, primarily triggered by factors such as improper construction practices and inadequate infrastructure design. As of August 9, she provided the following data for the 2023 flood situation:
- Number of affected states: 10
- Number of affected individuals: 33,983
- Number of displaced individuals: 7,353
- Number of injured individuals: 75
- Number of fatalities: 5
- Number of houses extensively damaged: 1,679
- Total damaged farmlands: 866 hectares
NEMA’s Director General, Mustapha Ahmed, highlighted that the agency has activated preparedness, mitigation, and response measures throughout the country.
The Emergency Coordination Forum aims to unite key stakeholders in tackling ongoing disasters and emergencies, including floods.
Engineer Clement Nzeh, Director General of the National Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), identified states at high risk of floods based on the 2023 Annual Flood Outlook prediction.
The list includes Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).