BY Janefrances Chibundu
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued a flood alert to Nigerians as the management of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon is set to begin regulated water releases into the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, Umar Mohammed, NIHSA’s director-general, said the dam’s regulated water releases will commence on September 17.
Mohammed said the dam managers intend to release the water gradually so as not to exceed the transfer capacity of River Benue and cause major flooding in Nigeria.
He said the water will be released at an initial rate of 100 cubic metres per second (m3/s) — 8.64 million cubic metres per day, and gradually increased to 1000 m¾s in the next seven days.
“Notwithstanding, it is highly imperative for all states that are contiguous to the Benue River system, namely —Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers; the government at all levels (Federal, State, and LGAs) to step up vigilance and deploy adequate preparedness measures to reduce possible impacts of flooding that may occur as a result of increased flow levels of our major rivers at this period,” the statement reads.
Mohammed added that the agency would ensure that it closely monitors the flow situation to forestall further flood disasters.
He assured Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm, noting that the flow levels along the Benue River are still within the warning levels.
On September 10, residents of Maiduguri were displaced from their homes following a devastating flood caused by the collapse of Alau Dam, which has been at full capacity for the past week.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said more than 30 persons lost their lives and over 400,000 were displaced due to the floods.
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