Floods renders 30,000 homeless in Nigeria
Lagos, Sep 16 : Local authorities in Nigeria's southern state of Edo on Saturday said 30,000 people have been displaced by floods in more than 35 communities in eastern and central part of the state.
The disaster had gone beyond the purview of local government council areas, Aremiyau Momoh, chairman of Etsako East, told reporters in Benin city, the state capital, Xinhua news agency reported.
On his part, John Akhigbe, chairman of Etsako Central, called for urgent intervention from both the state and the federal governments.
The duo said camps for the displaced had been placed in strategic locations across the council areas.
Similarly, about 700 houses including large farmlands have been affected by flash floods following heavy rains in parts of oil rich Rivers state.
Martins Ejike, a coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that the floods began since August.
Ejike advised people living in affected areas to relocate to higher ground for temporary shelters in case of the bigger floods.
In neighbouring Anambra state, authority also advised people living in floods-prone areas to immediately relocate to approved Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) centres across the state.
The state said it had established 28 camps across the state for possible flood victims. The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency had listed 12 states as areas likely to be affected by floods.
The agency said on Wednesday that the water level in central Kogi, one of the states, had neared the 2012 level at 10.66m and called for vigilance by residents.
In 2012, NEMA reported that floods killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million others in 30 states.
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BLR airport sees 34 int'l flight cancellations amid Middle East crisis
Bengaluru (PTI): As many as 34 international flights were cancelled at Kempegowda International Airport on Wednesday as airline operations were disrupted due to the Middle East conflict, officials said.
An airport official said that 18 arrivals and 16 departures were cancelled due to airspace restrictions on March 4 until 23:59 hrs at the Bengaluru airport.
The cancellations impacted several key international sectors connecting Bengaluru with West Asian cities, including Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai, and Doha.
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Meanwhile, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates the Kempegowda International Airport, said that a help desk has been set up at the kerbside of terminal 2 to manage passenger queries and provide on-ground assistance amid the disruptions.
According to BIAL, the help desk is coordinating ground transport, facilitating emergency services, and handling general queries until airline representatives arrive at the terminal.
Given the presence of multiple international carriers operating from the airport, the help desk is functioning as a single-window support system, guiding passengers to the respective ground handlers responsible for airline operations, officials said.
In addition, the airport is providing several passenger amenities at the kerbside, including chairs, drinking water, snacks, medical assistance, sanitary pads, charging stations, and a makeshift feeding facility.
Wheelchairs are also being provided upon request, they added.
