The Nigerian government on Wednesday expressed fear of a possible food scarcity in 2013 due to the current flood crisis.

With the level and intensity of the current flooding, many farm lands have been washed away, the director for Dams and Reservoirs Operations in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources Emmanuel Adanu said.

According to him, flooding has become a perennial problem in the country and he urged Nigerians, especially farmers, to be better prepared in 2013.

Adamu also advised farmers and Nigerians to avoid living or farming in areas considered to be flood-prone.

"There is an ongoing project to locate all our flood plains and mark out flood plains in an incidence of excessive rainfall and divert flood from these areas by constructing certain structures," he added.

He said the ministry is advocating for regular checks to minimize casualty levels in cases of flood.

He said a lot of advocacy is ongoing to dissuade people from living in coastal areas, low level towns and flood plains, adding, however, most of them have refused to heed the advice.