FEDERAL GOVERNMENT URGES 15 HIGH-RISK STATES TO ACCELERATE FLOOD READINESS MEASURES AMID RISING WATER LEVELS

Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency issues urgent alert following increased water release from dams and torrential rainfall across major river basins

The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA), has urged 15 state governments to urgently strengthen flood disaster preparedness and response mechanisms amid heightened risks of severe riverine flooding.

The high-alert warning affects frontline states along the Niger and Benue River basins, where rapidly rising water levels, compounded by continuous localized rainfall and upstream dam releases, pose direct threats to floodplains, agricultural zones, and residential settlements.

The agency advised state emergency management agencies (SEMAs), local government councils, and community leaders to immediately activate evacuation protocols, clear blocked drainage networks, and restrict human activities along vulnerable riverbanks to mitigate potential losses of lives and property.

Federal authorities emphasized that proactive state-level interventions remain critical to reducing structural damage, maintaining that early warning advisories must be matched with visible on-the-ground contingency planning, shelter preparation, and emergency relief stockpiling across affected jurisdictions.