OGUN STATE WARNS RESIDENTS IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS TO RELOCATE

The Ogun State Government has asked residents in floodplain areas to relocate to safer ground before the rain commences fully.

The rain, according to the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), would commence in March and end in December, 2024, with an average rainy period of two hundred and thirty-nine days (239) and an average precipitation of 1786.5mm, affecting sixteen out of the twenty local government areas of the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, who made this known during the 2024 Ogun State Flood Alert in conjunction with the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, held at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, also said that local government areas such as Imeko-Afon, Odeda, Abeokuta North, and Abeokuta South would experience the lowest rainfall.

While noting that people who are located in hilly areas are going to experience erosion as a result of the speed of the water, he called for calm as the state government is putting measures in place to cushion the effects of the expected heavy rainfall.

“It is either you relocate from the area or you elevate; may be you want to reconstruct your house or do some kind of elevation if you must stay in that area. Every year, we talk about relocation. It is not easy to relocate. If you must leave in those areas, make sure that your electronics, your chairs, and whatever can be damaged are being elevated.

The commissioner, who noted that the length of the rainy season in coastal areas ranges from 250 to 292 days while that in inland areas is between 200 and 250 days, encouraged farmers to start planting.

He urged fish farmers to harvest before the peak of the rainy season in July, and advised poultry farmers against stocking density during the period, which started two months ago.