The severe floods which began in Nigeria in September has brought about the displacement of about 1.5million inhabitants of those affected areas and has also unfortunately led to the demise of more than 600 people. One government minister has described it as the most devastating episode of seasonal floods Nigeria has seen in a decade.
The many heavy rains and poor urban planning has made parts of he country flood prone
Many communities around the Niger bridge have been submerged in water thereby halting economic activities for many small scale traders and farmers. As a result of the bleak situation, Nigeria’s minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has asked five state governments to get ready to evacuate the residents living along flood plains. In Anambra which is one of those state, 76 people died while trying to escape the flood as their boat capsised.
According to the minister, more than 200,000 houses and 266,000 acres of farmland have been completely or partially damaged. She further warned states to “prepare for more flooding and to provide medical supplies for a likely outbreak of water borne diseases.”
The last experience of major floods in Nigeria was between July and October 2012 when the Niger and Benue rivers overflowed their banks. The death toll reported was under 500 however, a similar number of people were displaced.
The release of the surplus water in the Lagdo dam in Cameron alongside the negligence of the government in preparing for the seasonal floods, have been speculated to be the root cause of this year’s flood occurrence. Despite the fact that a need for a buffer dam has been in existence since 1982 when the Lagdo dam was completed, Nigeria still does not have one.
Due to inadequate prevention efforts, the country has to make concerted efforts to provide relief supplies for the victims. Therefore, there is going to be a disbursement of about 12,000 metric tons of food from Nigeria’s reserves, which will be sent to he affected communities, following President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval.
Unfortunately, government efforts are barely enough to cater to the magnitude of damage experienced around the country. Therefore, individuals have begun online and offline fundraising campaigns to crowdsource relief.
Major agricultural business are feeling the impact of these tragic occurrences and this is presumed to have a negative effect on food prices in the coming months. Olam which produces a quarter of Nigeria’s rice declares 10,000 acres of it’s farmland submerged, leading to a shortfall that is likely to inflate prices.
The company’s vice president for corporate and government relations, Ade Adefeko said ” we should expect an increase in rice prices in December. Of course, that goes without saying, because the entire crop has been lost“