ABUJA, Oct 12 (NNN-XINHUA/GNA) — More than 500 people have been killed and 1,546 others injured this year in Nigeria due to heavy rains and floods, an official said.
Floods have so far wreaked havoc in 31 states and the Federal Capital Territory, affecting over 1.4 million people and dislocating 790,254, said Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
More than 44,000 houses were partially damaged, and about 45,000 houses were totally damaged by floods, while more than 140,000 hectares of farmland were partially or completely destroyed, said the official when updating in Abuja the flood situation.
He said the national flood emergency preparedness and response plan recently approved by the Federal Executive Council offers guidance on how to mitigate the impacts of floods.
Meanwhile, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 18,000 others displaced by floods in the rainy season starting from May in Nigeria’s northern state of Katsina, a relief agency official has said.
Some 16,625 houses were destroyed by the floods which have affected 34 local government areas of Katsina, said Umar Muhammad, head of the state’s Emergency Management Agency, at a press briefing in Katsina city, the state’s capital.
He said 6.6 square km of farmland were also submerged by the floods, and the state government would soon provide aid to affected residents.
Nigerian authorities issued an alert in May to 32 out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of the country, warning of severe flooding this year. — NNN-XINHUA/GNA
