The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed that about N2.6 trillion was lost to the 2012 flooding that ravaged not less than 23 states of the federation.

Iyiola Akande, NEMA Coordinator for the zone, who disclosed this at the south-west zonal awareness and flood campaign, aimed at averting similar losses this year, which held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, also stated that about , 5,970 houses were submerged in 256 local government areas affected, 2.1m people displaced while 363 deaths were recorded.

According to Iyiola, the campaign became necessary in view of the prediction by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) that there will occur, heavier seasonal rainfall up till November this year, stressing that the prediction painted a picture of what the nation is to expect this year when compared to what happened in 2012.

Lowo Obisesan, Oyo Commissioner for Environment and Habibat, emphasised the need for all stakeholders to adopt preventive measures, stressing that it was cheaper to prevent than manage flooding.

Represented by Modupe Omonigbehin, the permanent secretary in the Ministry, Obisesan, said  that if rivers and streams are allowed to go through their channels without obstruction, it can be rest assured that flooding would not displace people.

He noted that although flooding, like earthquakes, hurricane or volcanic eruptions comes with devastating impacts, yet it could be prevented because unlike other natural disasters, flooding is predictable.

Commending NEMA for being proactive, he said the awareness programme was in line with what Oyo State has in mind, recalling the losses suffered by the state in August 2011 when flood wreaked havoc, killing some residents and throwing some into hardship as they lost their means of livelihood.

Obiesesan further commented that the government on its part was intensifying effort to forestall re-occurrence, with proactive measures such as dredging of rivers and clearing of blocked drains.