Flooding: Tension in Kogi, Benue, 9 other states as Lagdo Dam begins water release

Following the recent collapse of Alau Dam and the devastation it caused in Maiduguri, Nigerians in littoral states are now anxious about the potential for a similar disaster.

This concern arises due to the reported release of excess water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, raising fears of severe flooding.

On September 17, 2024, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) issued a warning of impending floods that could affect 11 states.

These include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross-River, and Rivers, all of which are located along the Benue River.

NIHSA urged both residents and government officials to stay vigilant and implement safety measures to mitigate the effects of potential flooding.

The increase in water flow along Nigeria’s major rivers could lead to severe consequences.

Although Maiduguri’s recent disaster was not directly linked to the Lagdo Dam release, fears loom that this year’s release could be more devastating than the floods witnessed in 2022.

News360 Nigeria gathered that the water level of Rivers Niger and Benue are already 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 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.

Emphasising the need for people to relocate from flood plains, 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 1000m³/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.”

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 peoples, 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 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 Cameroun,’’ he said.

Credit: Vanguard