Flood: NIWA Provides Water transport services to stranded travellers in Kogi.
In a bid to ease movements of travellers stranded due to the excessive flooding of the rivers Benue and Niger as the Abuja road has been blocked between Lokoja and Koton-karfe that links the North and the Southern parts of the country, the Managing Director of the Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA) Chief Dr George Moghalu has directed that the Authority’s boats be released to quickly provide services to the stranded travellers.
The Managing Director directed the Area Manager of Lokoja Area Office to quickly release NIWA boats to ease the suffering of the travellers services to stranded travellers in Lokoja and Koton Karfe of Kogi State in order to ease the suffering of the travelers caused by the flood.
Thousands of travellers are already trapped between Lokoja and Kotonkarfe as the flood has taken over parts of the road without any means to proceed to their destinations.
Thousands of travellers from both the North and Southern parts of the country are languishing at the both ends of the flooded area.
Some travellers to the Southern parts of the country had to reverse and divert to the Loko — Oweto bridge between Nasarawa and Benue states before accessing their bearings
NIWA gauge readers in Lokoja confirmed that the 2012 flood level was 12.84 meters whereas that of this year is reading 13.22 meters, hence, the 2022 flood level has surpassed that of 2012 with 0.38 meters.
The flood this year has overtaken some major roads in Ajaokuta, Lokoja and Koton Karfe Local Government Areas of Kogi State which made it impassable for travelers from or through Lokoja to Abuja thereby creating serious hardship on Nigerians.
It is in this regard, NIWA in conjunction with the Boat Owners Association have been providing scour to these victims in compliance to the safety guidelines of wearing life jackets, avoiding overloading, over speeding and night sailing.
