The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that about 21 Local Government Areas will be affected by flood in the North West zone.
The North West Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Musa Ilallah, made this known while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday.
The coordinator said the agency has taken all a proactive measures to curtail the flood menace in the zone.
According to Ilallah, NEMA has reached out to relevant agencies in the affected states and within the zone to be on alert.
He mentioned the Local Governments to be affected in Kaduna State as Kaduna North and South, Igabi, Kubau, Soba Kajuru and Kachia, while in Kano State, Wudil, Warawa, Tudun Wada, Bebeji, Gwarzo, Dawakin Tofa, Kiru and Bagwai were named.
Others are Katsina State: Malumfashi, Funtua, Daura and Baure; Jigawa State: Hadejia, Auyo, Kafin Hausa, Ringim, Taura and Jahun.
Ilallah also disclosed that the river basin cuts across Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina States, while River Hadejia cuts across Jigawa, Kano and part of Bauchi States.
He urged the state governments to urgently embark on massive sensitisation programme of the affected communities to see the need of moving away from the prone areas.
He said: “On our part, NEMA and Executive Secretary of Hydrological Services Agency already carried out a Hausa programmes on radio in cognizance of targeting these communities that are likely to be affected.
“The alert shows that if the rain continues as experienced in the last one week for the next four days, it is a signal that part of River Niger will be flooded.
He added: “And by implication, a number of places will be affected with flood and going by the warning, the experience of flood in 2012 will be a child’s play this year, while several states will be affected.
“My concern is the North West, particularly Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano and Katsina states following the warnings by the Director General of the agency.
“Though we are able to reach out to States Emergency Management Agencies to enable them alert the communities living along the river banks linked with River Niger.
“It was just two days ago the Nigerian government received an alert from Niger Republic issuing a warning that all people living along the river banks should be evacuated.”
Illalah warned residents against indiscriminate dumping of refuse and building along water ways.
He enjoined relevant authorities in the states to be up and doing to check flooding.
