Flooding costs Nigeria USD 86 million

AllAfrica.com, via Leadership (Abuja, Nigeria): The Federal Government through its ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development said, damages associated with flood in the country are in excess of N10 billion [over USD 86 million] annually. Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Halima Tayo Alao, made this known at a two-day workshop on flood early warning signals organised by her ministry in collaboration with the Untied Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

According to Alao, refuse, water sachets and every conceivable type of garbage block many of our drainage systems in most cities, adding that Nigeria with a coastline of about 853km with major cities such as Lagos, Port/Hacourt, Calabar, located on the coastline, "Frequently experience storm surges from the Gulf of Guinea resulting in massive flooding with significant economic loss. We have several dams in many parts of the country constructed for flood control and water supply, when these structures fail or are to properly attended fail or are not properly attended to, we end up with flood in adjoining downstream communities."

She further said that the ministry conducted a nationwide survey in 2003 on economic losses to flood (field crops, harvested produce, property, displaced and sacked communities, human lives and livestock). The survey she said, revealed an estimated country annual losses in excess of N1.0 billion and by 2007, damages associated with flood in the country had escalated more than 10 times over….

Flag of Nigeria, Wikimedia Commons