The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has made a dire forecasting, saying that eight local government areas of Zamfara State would be devastated by moderate flooding in the 2024 rainy season.
The agency’s Director-General, Zubaida Umar, had made this disclosure in Gusau during a sensitisation programme for the 2024 down-scaling of flood early warning strategies for early actions.
Umar had named the eight LGAs likely to be affected. They include Bugundu, Gummi, Gusau, Bakura, Maradun Talata Mafara, Shinkafi, and Zurmi.
She had also called on Nigerians to toil together to protect the communities at risk, safeguard critical infrastructures, and support the uninterrupted socio-economic activities in the country, from flooding.
Recall that the Nigerian Hyrodological Services Agency (NIHSA) had for the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, predicted that 31 states with 148 local government areas were risk prone areas for high flooding, while 35 states including FCT with 249 LGAs are regarded as falling within the moderate flood risk areas. The remaining 377 LGAs are predicted to be in low flood risk areas.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Aliyu Tsafe, has revealed that the government had begun a flood awareness campaign across the fourteen local government areas in the state.
As it stands, stakeholders are optimistic that the sensitisation and enlightenment program will go a long way towards curbing the impact of floods, protecting private and communal livelihoods, and guaranteeing the path of steering socio-economic growth for the region and development of the people.
