Climate change: Niger govt puts communities on red alert

As part of efforts to mitigate all disasters predicted by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) for 2022, the Niger State Government has issued an early warning to build the resilience of communities at risk.

Alhaji Ahmed Inga, the Director-General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), made this known in a statement on Monday, in Minna.

Inga said the warning was based on the 2022 seasonal weather prediction by NiMET, aimed at preventing and mitigating the impact of such disasters.

He stressed that it was an early advisory to residents that were prone to disasters to observe some environmental rules and regulations such as desisting from building structures on waterways and avoiding dumping of refuse in drainage.

He further listed others as limiting activities around river banks at the peak of raining season, switching off all electrical appliances when not in use and avoiding storage of petrol and other inflammable items in homes.

The director-general also warned against indiscriminate felling of trees, urging the people of the state to plant more trees within their environment to curb desertification.

According to Inga, the public should also take good care their health during this period by clearing gutters and drainage to push out stagnant water that normally breeds mosquitoes, and also use medically treated nets to prevent malaria.

Inga advised residents of the state to dress in light clothes during the day, drink lots of water and healthy liquid substances, and always stay in well-ventilated spaces to prevent meningitis.

He said NiMET’s 2022 prediction indicated that the onset of rains in North Central would start between April and May, and would last between 100 and 200 days, with 15 dry days between May and August.

Inga further advised farmers who would be engaging in the rainy season farming to contact the Niger State Agricultural Mechanisation and Development Agency for flood resistant and improved seedlings.