NiHSA Warns Of Flood Risk Across 8,000 Communities, 4,500 Schools In 15 States

More than 8,000 communities and 4,500 schools across 15 states are at risk of flooding between September 19 and 25, according to the latest National Flood Advisory issued by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA). The agency’s Director-General, Arch Umar Mohammed, warned that rising river levels could expose schools, healthcare facilities, markets, religious buildings and farmlands to inundation, in an advisory issued Saturday.

The affected states are Imo, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Enugu, Bayelsa, Kogi, Abia, Taraba, Rivers and Lagos. Mohammed said high riverine flood risk was forecast for the next seven days, with rising river stages expected at stations including Obubra, Itigidi and Epento on the Cross River, and urged affected state governments to urgently relocate residents in vulnerable communities to safer ground.

State-level exposure figures include Imo State (958 communities, 1,022 schools, 553 healthcare facilities across seven LGAs), Cross River State (2,471 communities, 703 schools, 854 hectares of farmland across eight LGAs), Ebonyi State (2,574 communities, 1,064 schools, 1,882 hectares of farmland), Benue State (303 communities, 100 schools), Anambra State (1,314 communities, 1,308 schools, 1,529 hectares of farmland) and Akwa Ibom State (249 communities, 323 schools).

NiHSA advised residents in flood-prone areas, particularly those on floodplains, to take precautionary measures and relocate to higher ground where necessary.