By Our Reporter
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev has said that from end of July, the country may likely be experiencing river flooding which might be more destructive.
While addressing journalists on the flood situation in the country on Thursday, the minister noted that what the country have witnessed in the past weeks is ordinary flash floods and urban floods resulting from high rainfall intensities of long duration and blocked drainages in the urban areas.
The minister listed states at high risk of the expected excessive flood to include the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, and 18 others across the country.
The other high risk states are: Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Bayelsa, CrossRiver, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers and Taraba State.
Prof. Utsev explained that Nigeria’s location which was at the lowest portion of the River Niger Basin responsible for the situation the country usully find itself every year during rainy season.
According to him, once the upper part of the Basin get flooded particularly as a result of opening the Lagdo dam in Cameroun, Nigeria can not avoid experiencing flooding incidents.
Speaking about the Lagdo dam, the minister explained that its operator has informed authorities in Nigeria that they are currently filling the dam for hydropower generation.
He, however, said that the Nigerian government is almost set to build buffer dams along water channel to curb the annual flooding from the Lagdo dam.
He added that the designs of these dams had been done already and government is close to the implementation stage.
