Floods in Nigeria force many to leave homes

Many have had to leave their homes because of the flooding

Food and other support is being provided for people affected by floods in Nigeria, the country's minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management has said.

The minister, Sadiya Umar Farouk, also called on local authorities to help support people who are living in the most high-risk areas in the country to leave.

She said that despite efforts and early warnings, many state governments failed to prepare for the flooding.

It's affected 27 of Nigeria's 36 states and forced 1.3 million people to leave their homes. Several hundred people are also said to have died.

Climate change has been linked to the recent floods, although the government's lack of action has also been criticised.

Seasonal flooding

This rainy season has been particularly bad

The rainy season in Nigeria usually begins around June each year and this often leads to flooding in the country. However, the rain has been particularly heavy this season.

The flooding has had a massive impact on the country so far, destroying over more than 200,000 homes and huge areas of farmland.

There have also been concerns raised about diseases spreading more easily and disruptions to food and fuel supplies.

The government has said the unusually heavy rain and climate change are to blame for the flooding.

The emergency release of excess water from dams, which are barriers built to hold back water, both in Nigeria and its neighbour Cameroon has been highlighted as another big factor.

However, experts say poor planning and infrastructure, which describes the physical structures and systems put in place to make sure things in a country work effectively, have made the damage worse.

Many people can't afford to move to places which aren't affected by floods

Another big issue is that people living in parts of Nigeria affected by flooding each year return to their homes once the water levels go down.

It's because they don't have the money to move elsewhere or anywhere else they can go to.

Local authorities say that means people are continuing to build in areas at risk of flooding which they say is part of the problem.

Some have called for the government to help to move people to new locations permanently so they can move out of areas close to rivers.

Nigeria's weather agency has warned the flooding could continue until the end of November in some states in the south of the country.

Climate change

Many are worried the production of rice could be affected by floods in Nigeria

This isn't the first year Nigeria has felt the damaging effects of flooding. In 2012, over 350 people died and more than 2.1 million were forced to leave their homes because of floods.

Sub-Saharan Africa is affected by climate change in many ways and many of these countries are already struggling financially which can make the impact a lot worse.

Rice producers have warned the floods could affect food prices in the country for up to 200 million people.