Victor Ezeja
Nigerians have been warned by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to expect flooding in nine states as Cameroon started releasing water from its Lagdo Dam.
According to the NEMA Director General, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, the affected states are: Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa.
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The NEMA DG said that the water discharge, which is anticipated to extend until the end of October, may have an impact on villages located along the banks of the River Benue in the nine affected states.
According to Ahmed, the most recent discharge had caused the residents to flee for safety and could lead to damage of crops, buildings and other infrastructure.
“NEMA has been alerted on sudden increased inundation of riverine communities and farmlands along the banks of River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states in the past 48 hours,” he said.
“The sudden situation is attributed to the rapid release of water from Lagdo fam in the Republic of Cameroon and has displaced several inhabitants of the affected communities.
“Furthermore, crops, lands and valuable infrastructure are at risk of getting washed away by the flood waters.
“Situation reports from Adamawa State confirmed the upsurge of flood waters along the flood plains of River Benue.
“The situation is expected to be replicated in downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa as the River Benue joins River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta,” NEMA DG added.
As of now, 28 people have died as a result of the flooding this year, and 48,168 people have been relocated, according to Ahmed, who also noted that 159,157 people have been affected by it throughout 13 states.
In order to prevent potential losses and damage brought on by potential flooding of communities, the director general further advised states and local government entities in the River Niger and Benue Basins to activate their emergency response plans immediately.
Prime Business Africa understands that the neighbouring Cameroon has for some years now been releasing water from the Lagdo dam located in the northern province of the Central African nation.
The dam built in 1982 by a Chinese company to provide electricity, potable water and irrigate farmlands in Garoua and the Northern provinces of Cameroon, is 308 m long, 40 m in height and 9 m thick. Its reservoir has a potential of 7.7 billion cubic metres, however, due to aging and the silting up of its reservoir, its capacity has deteriorated over time reaching 1.6 billion m3 in 2021.
Not less than 12 states along the coastal route suffer displacement of their residents and huge economic losses due to flood each year water is released from the dam.
According to NEMA, 3, 219,780 persons were affected by the 2022 flooding in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory; 1,427,370 persons were displaced, and 612 persons lost their lives.
The former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq said the 2022 floods in various parts of Nigeria led to an estimated economic loss of $9.12 billion.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
