Ministry Sets Up Early Warning Station in Ile-Ife; Listed Opa River as possible source of flooding

Taking into cognisance the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NIMET) prediction of more rains this year, the ministry of environment has taken steps to establish four automated Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) stations.

According to the ministry’s deputy director, Flood and Erosion Control, Mr Ekong Ekanem, the FEWS stations will be established in the southern part of the country to combat flooding since the region is mostly prone to flood.


He explained that the system would help to reduce the frequency of flooding in flood prone areas, alert communities of the likelihood of flooding in order to help make adequate arrangement for mitigation and as a mechanism for the monitoring of flood-prone locations and  river basins and dams.

Listing Opa River in Ile Ife Osun, Omi River in Ibadan, Ogun River in Isheri Olofin  and Maidan-Agiliti River in Lagos State as possible sources of flooding, he disclosed that a new approach of using satellite to monitor flooding is underway as a committee has been set up by the federal government to work out modalities on how to address river bank flooding in the country.

He said, “When FEWS programme started last year, we had two automated stations and 305 community  based centres, but along the line, in the progress of events that came up, that automated stations increased from two to four. On the community based FEWS, we are having some additions; right now, we have two more stations established, one in Jigawa and the other one in Benue; so that has increased our tally from what we had earlier.”