Kogi state government has mapped out strategies to combat the flood menace as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has again put the State on red alert.
State Commissioner of Environment, Chief Victor Omofaiye, disclosed this on Wednesday.
He explained that moved by the devastation caused by annual flooding around the Kpata and Nataco areas of Lokoja, the state capital, the state government commenced the construction of an embankment along the coastal area.
He said the embankment around the coastal area in Lokoja has reached over ninety per cent completion.
The project, according to the Commissioner, is one of the interventions by the state government to control the flow of water that usually leave many people stranded during flooding.
According to Omofaiye, the present administration has also made frantic efforts at controlling erosion across the State through the just concluded Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) project, adding that another World Bank project, Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), is ongoing and would also address erosion challenges.
The Commissioner maintained that the government in partnership with Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) is working on controlling the flow of water at Koton Karfe that affected vehicular movement for days last year.
He stated that for the flood challenge to be permanently checked, the Federal Government must construct macro dams that will break the velocity of other water from the Lagdo, Shiroro and Kanji dams.
Chief Omofaiye described the annual flooding in the state as unfortunate, saying the recurrence is as a result of the location of the State.
Source: Tribune