‘Avoid flood prone areas, clear drainages, waterways’

The Director- General of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Mr. Moses Beckley, has said Nigerians living in flood plains and other flood prone areas should relocate before the rainy season sets in. He also said they should clear drainage systems and waterways around their areas to avoid flooding and its damaging effects on lives and property.

Backley in a statement also said the rainy season should be used to harvest rain water appropriately for use when the rains subside later in the year.

He said: “This is part of flood management; a tool for effective water resources management to ultimately ensure water and food security for the nation.”

The NIHSA boss, noted that the 2016 annual flood outlook achieved tremendous success in terms of projected probability of flood risk areas and reduction in the area that had hitherto been categorised as highly flood prone areas.

This, he said, was due largely to the prompt and precautionary measures taken by the citizens to avert or mitigate flood disasters and damage based on warnings issued by the agency.

He also noted that the people were adhering to warnings in the forecasts and sensitization, which the agency carried out in all the eight hydrological areas and flood prone states of the country.