In the wake of the reported release of excess water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, most Nigerians in littoral states are currently on edge over a possible re-enactment of similar tragedies in recent times.
States likely to be impacted and which border the Benue River include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross-River, and Rivers
This coupled with torrential rains and the recent devastation of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, due to the collapse of Alau Dam, and the fear that the release of water from Lagdo Dam will have more devastating effects than it did in 2022.
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, had on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, in their routine, issued a warning of possible severe flooding that releasing water from Lagdo Dam will affect approximately 11 states across the country.
NIHSA’s Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Umar Muhammed, warned in a statement: “The water discharge is anticipated to progressively escalate to 1000 m3/s over the next seven days, based on the inflow from the upstream Garoua River, which serves as the primary source into the reservoir and a significant tributary to the Benue River.”
NIHSA also advised people in these states as well as officials of government at all levels, “To heighten their vigilance and implement appropriate preparedness measures to mitigate potential flooding impact that may arise due to increase in flow levels of our major rivers during this period.”
His warning has since thrown those in the affected states into a panic mode, as governments of the affected states are currently hurrying to relocate people and also provide internally displaced people, IDPs, and camps.
Confirming the development, the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ezekiel Manzo, affirmed that the release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam was ongoing and swelling the water level of the River Benue.
He said the release implies that it safeguards the possible risk of damage that may occur to the dam when its capacity is overwhelmed.
“A breakage of the dam would cause much damage in Nigeria, as we have witnessed recently in Maiduguri with Alau dam, a much smaller dam compared to the one in Cameroon,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, water levels of the Rivers Niger and Benue are already reportedly rising, despite what the Cameroonian authorities described as the gradual release of water from Lagdo Dam.
For instance, residents in some communities, including Irri in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, are already relocating from flood plains to higher grounds, following the rise in water levels in affected areas.
