The Benue Government says preparations are on top gear to either avert or mitigate the impact of flood in the state if it occurs.
Mr Aondowase Kunde, Chairman, Technical Committee on Flood Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Response Team, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Makurdi.
Kunde, who is also the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, said the committee’s recommendations in 2024 were also being implemented.
The chairman said that the committee’s findings revealed that though the state had multiple causes of flood, they were largely human induced.
He stated that the committee also discovered that there were incidents of refuse dumped in drainage, leading to blockage, as well as building along waterways, among other causes.
“If you go round, you will see that our recommendations have so far been implemented by at least 70 per cent.
“If you go to Apa Local Government Area (LGA), where we recommended redirection of water flow to end flooding in the area, the implementation is ongoing.
“If you go round Makurdi, the metropolitan city, you will see that the governor has ensured that all blocked water channels and drainage are cleared.
“The construction of the major Idye drainage that connects Idye, Wurukum, and the River Benue is ongoing,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to support the state to complete the project.
Also, the Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment, Mr Odoh Ugwu, said the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had predicted delayed rainfall and its early stoppage this year.
Ugwu said that the government was doing its best to ensure that lives and property were safe.
“This year, we received a forecast that there is going to be delayed rainfall, which we are actually experiencing, and an early stoppage of it.
“By this, we need to inform the people about this situation because Benue is an agrarian state.
“Farmers need to know this situation to adjust their farming plans and cultivate crops that will be productive within the period of the rainfall. To farm crops that will suit this current rainfall prediction.
Ugwu also said the agency had embarked on serious enlightenment campaigns to mitigate the impact of flooding, especially in the flood-prone areas.
“It is ongoing, and we are informing the people to relocate to safer areas.
“Government is also making temporary shelters for people who might be affected. So these are some of the things we are doing to protect lives and property,” he said. (NAN)
