TVC Reports
In some states across the nation, devastating floods have already claimed lives and destroyed properties, and more floods are expected.
Fears of a food shortage have also been raised as a result of the waters washing away farmland and destroying seeds stored for the upcoming planting season.
This year, floods have affected at least seven states. The worst was in 2012, when floodwaters caused the deaths of 363 people and the displacement of over two million people.
Jigawa, Kogi, Anambra, Katsina, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Bayelsa states are currently dealing with the effect of the flood waters that have forced them out of their homes.
In Jigawa state alone, the death toll is more than 100, 17 in Anambra, and six in Kogi.
Already, the rising water levels have displaced more than 1.4 million residents across the country.
The situation in Kogi State is also dire, before flood waters started to recede, a portion of the Abuja/Lokoja highway was completely cut-off leaving passengers and motorists stranded for days.
The flood water has taken its toll on the road. This is the chaos on the Abuja/Lokoja highway, Manhour is lost daily as travelers ply this strategic link road between the north and south, in Lokoja.
Inside Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State the devastation caused by torrential rain has led to the destruction of property, farmlands, and livelihood.
Livestock were also not spared. The few surviving are struggling to adapt to the extreme conditions caused by the high tides.
A resident of Lokoja, Mohammed Tukura who is from a predominantly fishing family said this year’s level of flood was not expected, despite several flood warnings issued by the government and other relevant agencies.
But affected communities are always not prepared when the waters come into their homes.
A temporary camp for residents of Akpaku community displaced by the flood in Kogi lack potable water, good sanitation, and hygiene which puts internally displaced persons at risk of contracting communicable diseases.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, more than two thousand confirmed cases of cholera were recorded between January and September this year, with two hundred and thirty-three deaths, but the numbers may rise if there is an outbreak in any of the temporary shelters for flood victims in affected states.
The government is warning again, that the worst is not yet over.
Minister of Humanitarian affairs and disaster management says more states are still at risk and advise them to heed the early flood alert.
The federal government is also concerned about the impact of this flood on food security as more than seventy-six thousand hectares of farmland have been partially destroyed while about seventy thousand hectares of farmland are completely destroyed across the country.
Residents of Akpaku community and others in flood-hit states across the country rely on government handouts and supplies of relief materials to alleviate the hardship caused by the torrent of water that has submerged their homes.
