Punch
In this interview, the Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Clement Nze, tells Okechukwu Nnodim that state governments are not showing commensurate response to mitigate floods in their domains despite warnings
Tell us the major causes of flooding as experienced in many parts of the country recently.
Rainfall is the major causative factor of flooding and this is also confirmed by the predictions of NiMet (Nigeria Meteorological Services Agency). Due to climate change variability in Nigeria this year, 2021, there had been delayed onset of the raining season.
In other words, when they mention that it will start in the month of April, it might end up starting sometime in May. And there is also early cessation of the raining season from the forecast of NiMet. This leaves us with few months of raining season.
Therefore the rainfall that is supposed to spread over a period of about five to six months, will now be concentrated within a few number of months. When such happens, as is already happening, that will translate to heavy flooding. The rainfall that is supposed to occur for about five months now occurs in three months.
The capacity of the earth to carry it will not be there and it will give rise to flooding and that is what is playing out now.
