Impending flood disaster: Fear and panic paralyse coastal states as Lagdo Dam starts to unleash water

Haunted by the spectre of past flood disasters in the country following torrential rains and the recent devastation of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, due to the collapse of Alau Dam, Nigerians in the littoral states of the country are presently living in fear over a possible re-enactment of similar tragedies in the wake of the reported release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroun. The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, had on Tuesday September 17, 2024 issued a warning of possible severe flooding that will affect approximately eleven states across the country with the release of water from the Lagdo Dam.
The states likely to be impacted and which border the Benue River include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross-Rivers, and Rivers. 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 impacts that may arise due to an increase in flow levels of our major rivers during this period.”
According to a statement the agency issued in this regard: “The authorities of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon have communicated to the agency that they will initiate controlled water releases at a rate of 100m³/s (8,640,000m³/day) starting today, September 17, 2024.” The statement, signed by the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Umar Muhammed, added that: “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.”
NIHSA did not stop there. It had on Thursday September 19, warned Nigerians resident in floodplains to relocate immediately to safe spaces in anticipation of attendant floods arising from the intermittent release of water from the Lagdo Dam.
This warning has since thrown those in the affected states into a panic mode. From North to South, there is palpable anxiety as state governments and relevant agencies of the Federal Government are in a race against time to activate appropriate measures to mitigate the impact of the expected flooding, especially in the flood-prone plains of the vulnerable states. But even as the relevant authorities are investing in comprehensive flood control measures and disaster management strategies to mitigate the impact of flooding, there are indications that they are not getting the full cooperation of people in the affected states as many in the flood plains continue to ignore the order to relocate to safer areas for now.
In a chat with Vanguard, spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ezekiel Manzo, affirmed that release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam is ongoing, but gradually downstream River Benue. He said the implication of the release is that it safeguards possible risk of damage that may occur to the dam when its capacity is overwhelmed. According to him: “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 added that NEMA “factored the tendency of the release of excess water from the dam in our flood mitigation, preparedness and response for the year”. He also informed that “the DG NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, has activated all heads of NEMA offices to immediately alert the state governments and local authorities as well as communities at risk of the likelihood of flooding and prepositioned our facilities for rescue”.
… in the North
In the North that has suffered a lot of flood-related disasters this year, the release of water from the Lagdo Dam is regarded as a bad omen, one pregnant with another flood catastrophe, thus triggering anxiety and confusion.
Starting from Adamawa, which shares boundary with Cameroun along with Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states, apprehension is very high among the people. People are on edge, even as they seem to have resigned themselves to fate while wondering when the flooding will start and the magnitude of its fury.

Source: vanguardngr.com

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