LAGOS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 500 people have been killed and 1,546 others injured this year in Nigeria due to heavy rains and floods, an official said Tuesday.
Floods have so far wreaked havoc in 31 states and the Federal Capital Territory, affecting over 1.4 million people and dislocating 790,254, said Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
More than 44,000 houses were partially damaged, and about 45,000 houses were totally damaged by floods, while more than 140,000 hectares of farmland were partially or completely destroyed, said the official when updating in Abuja the flood situation.
He said the national flood emergency preparedness and response plan recently approved by the Federal Executive Council offers guidance on how to mitigate the impacts of floods.
