THE Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, reported its first flood incident in June 2023, following a heavy downpour that exacerbated into a flood submerging several houses in an estate.

The impact of the flood, which had become a regular incident, submerged 166 houses and displaced several residents from their homes. The ICIR captured it here and here.

Last year, flooding displaced 1.4 million people across various parts of the country from their homes and killed over 500 people. The federal government attributed the incident to unusual rainfall as a result of climate change and the excess water released from the opening of the Lagdo dam in Cameroon that flowed into the Nigerian River and its tributaries.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency said that the flood affected about 24,713 inhabitants in three of the six area councils of the FCT. This development forced the government to demolish houses on waterways as part of an effort to mitigate the flood.

However, experts told The ICIR that the government may need to develop a sustainable drainage system to channel water within communities, especially rural areas.

The ICIR captured the ordeal of residents who were impacted by the flood in 2022.

Mapping out flood zone areas
At the beginning of this year, Abuja was listed as part of the state at risk of heavy flooding in 2023. Weather25 forecasted that FCT would have 74 days of rain in 2023 with the highest rainfall impact from May and September.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/flood-series-mapping-out-areas-in-abuja-prone-to-flooding/

Obi is coming