The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has called on Nasarawa Government to take proactive measures to mitigate the impending flood disaster in the state as the rainy season peaks.
NEMA’s Director-General, retired AVM Muhammadu Muhammed, made the call on Wednesday in Lafia during a flood advocacy visit to the state.
Muhammed, represented by the agency’s Deputy Director for Finance, Mr Sani Jibba, said that Nasarawa State is one of the probable states to witness flooding going by the 2020 seasonal rainfall prediction and the annual flood outlook.
He said that the flood prone Local Government Areas in the state were Nasarawa, Toto, Nassarawa-Eggon; Keana, Doma, Karu and Awe.
“Nasarawa is known to be one of the major food producing states in the country with its citizens largely engaged in farming activities, but floods have continued to threaten this potential,” he said.
The NEMA boss, while noting that climate change had been blamed for flood disaster, said that it was the responsibility of the government and people to minimise losses through adherence to warning alerts, early preparation and proper response.
He, therefore, urged the state government to direct its Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), frontline local governments and other response agencies to put in place measures to mitigate any disaster.
He also emphasised the need to intensify public enlightenment campaign targeting vulnerable communities to undertake mitigation actions and prepare for evacuation to safe grounds.
Muhammed further advised the state government to identify high grounds for possible Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps to provide shelter for evacuated communities.
He said government should make efforts to clear drains, canal and rivers of refuse and silt to ensure free flow of flood waters, and organise state humanitarian coordination forum to prepare all stakeholders for mitigation and response.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of Gov. Abdullahi Sule, his deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, thanked NEMA for its support to the state over the years.
Akabe said that the state, through SEMA, had taken necessary precaution to mitigate floods following the 2020 prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
He said that the state was proactive as it started preparation for the impending flood since January, even to the extent of making arrangement to procure boats for rescue operations where necessary.
He said that government had identified flood prone areas as well as high grounds for possible evacuation of the people when flood occur.
Akabe said that government was working to ensure that the high grounds to be used as temporary camps were habitable with all necessary facilities “so that we don’t move people from disaster to disease”.
He also said that government had intensified public enlightenment campaign through the media, using various local languages and jingles to reach the people, especially in the flood prone rural communities.
Akabe, however, called for continuous partnership with the Federal Government during emergency situations, saying that the state could not do it alone with its limited resources.(NAN)
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