By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja
Fear has gripped Lokoja residents, capital of kogi state as flood resurfaced in some parts of the area..
The Correspondent of The Reporters who visited the bank of River Niger and Benue at Gadumo in Lokoja, on Thursday reports that some houses have been submerged by flood , prompting affected residents to relocate to safe areas.
Some of the people whose houses have not been touched by the flood, told our correspondent that they were maintaining “wait and see” position” ,to see what would be their next plan in case the flood visits.
Kogi State is one of the states usually hit by flood whenever Nigeria witnesses such natural disaster.
Our Correspondent recalls that
in 2012, more than half of the local government in the state were hit by flood during which property worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Investigation by our Correspondent showed that, though the amount of rain as at the time this story was published on September 22,2022 could not have led to substantial increase in the volume of water at the River Niger and Benue, the residual effects of flood in other states of the country is affecting Lokoja and its environs.
An expert in environmental management, Mr Akoh Abdullahi, in a telephone interview with our Correspondent in Lokoja, advised residents to stop building houses close to the river.
“When people build houses close to the river, there is tendency for them to experience flood any time there is heavy and continuous rain fall,because the volume of water will definitely increase.
“People should also stop indiscriminate waste disposal,as this behaviour blocks channels where water usually flow to the larger body of water to the rest part of the world.
“Authorities in charge of approving land and building plans for building of houses should ensure that they don’t approve houses being sited close to the river.
“All these precautionary measures become important to avoid people fall victim of flood,” he explained.
Meanwhile, according to the Nation, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said 13 States would experience heavy floods in 2022.
The States, according to the agency are: Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa.
The agency also said the country should expect Kainji, Shiroro and Jebba dams to overflow between now and the end of October.
