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Six people were killed and 35 communities submerged following heavy flooding this year in Edo State, south Nigeria, a local official said on Friday.
Victor Emuankhangbon, head of the Esan South East local government area of Edo, told reporters that the flood affected many farmlands in the area.
The floods, which also affected many states across Nigeria, were mainly due to heavy rains between August and early October.
Emuankhangbon expressed worry that the disaster might lead to an acute food shortage in Edo, the seventh-largest Nigerian state by gross domestic product.
According to him, the government had taken a few measures to mitigate the effects of the envisaged food shortage by encouraging dry season farming.
He confirmed that some of the flood victims who fled their submerged communities had started returning home as the floodwater had begun to recede in the affected areas.
At least 200 people have been killed so far by floods across Nigeria this year, according to government data.
Some states are still experiencing huge floods, with more deaths likely recorded from the disaster.
In addition to the rising death toll, some 1,300 people have been reportedly injured and nearly 2 million affected by the recent flooding in areas along the Niger and Benue rivers in Nigeria.
One week ago, the Nigerian Senate called for a stakeholders meeting to discuss the perennial flood disaster across the country with a view to proffering a lasting solution to the menace.
XINHUA
Photo: Google Images
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