The Benue State Government says it has stepped up efforts to reduce the risk of flooding across the state through early monitoring and preventive measures.
Among the steps being implemented is the daily monitoring of river water levels to determine when residents in vulnerable communities should be relocated to safer areas.
The Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Odoh Ugwu, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Makurdi on Tuesday.
His comments come after the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), placed Benue and several other states on a seven-day medium flood alert.
The agency attributed the warning to increasing water levels recorded at major river monitoring stations, raising the possibility of localized flooding in river channels and floodplains.
Ugwu explained that the state government begins flood preparedness well before the peak of the rainy season by ensuring that all equipment used for monitoring water levels is in good condition.
He said, “At the beginning of every year, we prepare for the rainy season and we start by ensuring that all the equipment we need in terms of water level reading and all that are intact, because we use it to know where the water level, where we are, to know when we are approaching the danger level and where we need to take action and all that.
“Another thing was to create awareness during the rainy season by informing people living around the riverine area to move from the low level to a higher ground where they will be safe pending when they will have a normal level of water within their areas.”
The commissioner also noted that ongoing road construction projects in Makurdi are expected to significantly reduce flooding in parts of the state capital due to improved drainage infrastructure.
He said, “Here in Makurdi before now, you will be hearing of the issue of flooding in Makurdi, particularly, Achusa area and other environs, but because of the rapid road construction that is going on, we will have less of that this year because most of these roads come with well-planned drainages that take care of most of these issues that we are talking about.”
Ugwu further appealed to residents to stop dumping refuse into waterways, warning that blocked drainage channels worsen flooding.
He added that the ministry is collaborating with urban development authorities to remove structures built on natural waterways to improve water flow and reduce flood risks.
Benue govt strengthens flood prevention, begins daily waterlevel monitoring