14 states face flood risk between July 14 and 20, NiHSA warns

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By Gabriel Ewepu

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ABUJA — As flooding continues to affect parts of the country, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) on Wednesday warned that 14 states face a medium flood risk between July 14 and 20, 2026.

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The warning was contained in a flood advisory issued by the Director-General of NiHSA, Arc. Umar Mohammed, who said the alert followed the agency’s latest hydrological forecast, which projects inland flooding along major river channels. He added that 16 monitoring stations have been identified as high-risk locations.

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According to the advisory, the states at medium flood risk are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Lagos, Niger and Plateau.

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NiHSA warned that several communities in the affected states, as well as public infrastructure including schools, health facilities and markets, could be impacted if adequate mitigation measures are not taken.

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The Director-General reiterated that the agency releases its Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) at the beginning of every year to provide flood predictions, information and analysis ahead of the rainy season, with the aim of alerting state and local governments, as well as relevant emergency management agencies, to potential flood risks.

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According to him, the forecast is intended to support comprehensive preparedness and early planning by state governments to reduce the impact of flooding.

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In light of the current flood situation, Mohammed urged state governments, emergency management agencies and communities to take the early warning seriously by strengthening early warning systems, activating evacuation plans where necessary, and intensifying public awareness and sensitisation campaigns in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

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