Worried by devastating floods in Nigeria, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called for anticipatory action in states to mitigate flooding crisis.
It warned that as unprecedented flooding looms in over 30 states, there is a need for fragile and conflict-affected countries like Nigeria to be at the forefront of the climate agenda.
Since the beginning of July this year, the Federal Government has issued flood alerts in several localities across the states of Kano, Borno, Adamawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Delta, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara and Niger State.
With COP28 approaching, the IRC called on the Federal Government to be one of the countries prioritised in the global climate agenda, with concrete commitments to unlock more funding for adaptation and climate resilience.
IRC also urged the expansion of partnerships with local civil society groups and investments in innovations to prevent the climate crisis from becoming a catastrophe.
Already, the IRC has piloted an anticipatory cash programme in the northeast using information from government meteorological agencies that it partnered with to predict a generational flood.
The IRC research teams compared the effects of providing cash transfers to households ahead of a climate shock, instead of the typical post-shock response. The evidence clearly showed that families receiving cash days before the disaster were less likely to go hungry and more likely to take pre-emptive action. This approach can mitigate the impact of climate hazards in the short-term and improve resilience in the long-term.
IRC Country Director for Nigeria, Babatunde Ojei, said: “Last season’s floods in Nigeria had disastrous effects, including the loss of at least 600 lives and forced displacement of more than 1.5 million individuals across several states. In IRC clinics in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states alone, almost 35,000 children were recorded as patients having contracted waterborne illnesses due to the floods, increasing their susceptibility to further illness.
“The disruption to the agricultural calendar, including planting of seeds or harvesting, and the potential destruction of fields due to rising waters, is equally alarming as it will impact the food supply to the population.
“Already, nearly 25 million Nigerians are likely to go hungry this year; malnutrition levels in northeast and northwest Nigeria continue at higher levels than this time last year or the previous four years, with nearly two million people receiving humanitarian food assistance in April 2023. The risk of further disruption to education services must also be considered, especially given that Nigeria already ranks as one of the highest in the world for out-of-school children.”
On her part, IRC Regional Deputy Director, West Africa Hannah Gibbin, said: “What worries us most is the risk of increased cases of cholera, malaria, valley fever, and other diseases linked to polluted rainwater or runoff. Our colleagues in the field have identified that one of the main causes of the cholera epidemic is the lack of hygiene and sanitation facilities, such as latrines, in many areas.We are working rs to build these spaces and boreholes.
“In preparation for this year’s flooding, we have also launched an effective programme to distribute cash in advance to the communities most at risk.”
This enables them to better prepare themselves in advance to minimise the impact of these floods. More early action programmes need to be launched to mitigate the impact of flooding on families and their livelihoods.”
