445 LGAs in Lagos, 31 other states face flooding in 2022 rainy season – FG alerts, as FCT plans massive demolition of illegal structures

About 445 Local Government Areas across Lagos and 21 other states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will witness heavy flooding during the 2022 rainy season, according to the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu.

Adamu, who disclosed this while speaking during unveiling of the 2022 annual flood outlook put together by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, said 233 local government areas in 32 States are at the risk of what he called highly probably flood risk areas while 212 local government areas across 35 states are at a risk of moderate flooding during the year.

Lagos, Edo, Delta, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Abia and the FCT lead States at the risk of highly probable flooding during the year.

The Minister said 57 local government areas across the country are likely to experience highly probable flooding between April and June while 220 others will witness highly probably flooding between July and September.

He also eight states, including; Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun and Imo states will experience coastal flooding during the year due to rise in sea level and tidal surge, which will impact on fishing, wildlife habitation and river navigation.

He said urban flooding will also be experienced in Lagos, Kaduna, Suleja, Gombe, Asaba, Port Harcourt, Benin and Lokoja among other cities across the country.

Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Friday vowed not to spare any estate or structures illegally developed on waterways following the release of the 2022 Annual Flood Outlook by NiMet.

The 2022 Annual NiMET Flood Outlook negativity featured the FCT, placing AMAC and Gwagwalada on probable high risk.

Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Alhaji Shuaib Umar made the vow during a stakeholders meeting with both Management and Residents Associations of Trademore Estate.

“By next week all these houses are going down. The solution to this is the removal of these houses. We won’t like ourselves at the detriment of others.

“Even a single house could cause problem for so many people. If that single house is not constructed where it is supposed to be constructed.”

Earlier, the Director, FCTA Department of Development Control, Malam Muktar Galadima who led a demolition squad to one of the offending estates in Lugbe District said it was appalling that developers were jeopardising people’s lives.

Galadima noted that the Valley Hub Estate in Lugbe that was already under the fire of angry bulldozers, violated development rules by illegally expanding and building on green area.

He said that over 20 houses built along waterways at Trademore Estate and others would be demolished as scheduled after the ultimatum given to them.

According to him, now is the moment those houses marked for removal are going.

“Anything that will come after can be resolved. The first thing now is to save lives and property.

“This demolition will not only be limited to Trade More Estate, even in the down stream, we are going to remove all the houses that are on the flood plain.”

Acting Director, Forecasting Response and Mitigation, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Mrs Florence Wenegieme, explained that the affected property were built on waterways thereby narrowing the water channels.

She attributed the perennial flooding at Trade More Estate on human induced activities, noting that the developer had allocated plots of land on waterways with development presently ongoing.

She said that the 2022 annual flood outlook placed AMAC and Gwagwalada on high probable flood risk, stressing that Trade More Estate was on a low plain and advised residents to relocate to safer grounds.

On efforts by FEMA to mitigate flooding in 2022, Wenegieme said the agency would continue to report cases of infractions to the Department of Engineering Services, Facility Maintenance and Management as well as the Abuja Environmental Protection Board to do the needful.

She said that FEMA had stationed its rescue teams and local divers in flood-prone areas of the territory, barricaded vulnerable roads and mounted early warning signs.

The acting director said that FEMA would continue to carry out sensitisation across all the area councils using town criers, broadcast and social media.

The representative of the Trademore Estate, Mr Ifeanyi Uzoigwe emphasised the need for FCTA to evaluate a dam located at Alieta, a community before Lugbe, which had collapsed and was contributing to the flooding.

Uzuigwe added that some of the water channels within the area were in urgent need of expansion.