The Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has submitted the newly developed National Strategic Plan for Flood Management in Nigeria to President Bola Tinubu, as stakeholders await further instructions.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a three-day retreat for senior management staff of the water ministry in Abuja, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the country would effectively tackle issues of flooding with the plan.
Nigeria suffers massive floods during the raining season, which often leads to the destruction of lives and properties. However, the government and other stakeholders have been making efforts to address this challenge.
Commenting on this in his address at the retreat on Friday, the minister said there was an ongoing collaboration at the regional level under Lake Chad Commission and Niger Basin Authority for the management of trans-boundary water systems.
“It is also instructive to note that a National Strategic Plan for Flood Management in Nigeria was developed in collaboration with other stakeholders and has been submitted to Mr President, awaiting further instructions.
“The plan entails mechanisms for flood mitigation and financing. It integrates structural and non-structural measures, ecosystem needs, and envisages the active participation of government at all levels, communities and the private sector.
“It is important to mention that the ministry may be involved if required in emergency response efforts during droughts, floods and other weather-related disasters to mitigate the impact of such events,” Utsev, who was represented by his Minister of State, Bello Goronyo, stated.
This came as the minister revealed that at present, a total of 408 dams were registered with various statuses of completion across the country, adding that Nigeria has accumulated significant storage capacity amounting to nearly 70 billion cubic meters.
