REWIND: In 1994, Alau Dam collapsed, displacing 400,000 persons in Maiduguri

On September 13, 1994, about 400,000 persons in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, were displaced by flood caused by the collapse of Alau Dam.

With a maximum storage capacity of 112 million meter cube, the dam, located in Alau community of Konduga LGA of Borno state, was constructed in 1986 to provide water for irrigation and domestic use in Maiduguri.

The flood led to the destruction of crops and property in Maiduguri and six northern states including Kebbi, Kaduna, Sokoto, Katsina, Kwara, Plateau, and parts of Cameroon.

In response to the incident, the Sani Abacha military government sent a delegation to the affected areas to assess the level of impact, while pledging food and other support to the state.

The Borno state government on their part released N1 million to aid the flood victims.

30 YEARS LATER, MAIDUGURI IS FLOODED

Fast forward to September 10, 2024, residents of Maiduguri are migrating to neigbouring communities to seek refuge due to the displacement caused by flood from the Alau Dam. 

The dam, which has been at full capacity for the past week, caved in on Tuesday. 

Although no casualty has been reported in the state, residents are counting their losses as their crops and property have been submerged by the flood.

President Bola Tinubu has commiserated with the state, while ordering for the immediate evacuation of affected persons.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it has begun evacuation of residents in the affected communities.

In a statement on Tuesday, Umar Zaibadu, director-general of NEMA, said the state government has opened the Bakassi camp to accommodate those displaced by the flood.

Zaibadu noted that the areas impacted by the incident include Shehuri, parts of the government residential area (G.R.A.), Gambomi, Budum, Bulabulin, Adamkolo, Millionaires Quarters, Monday Market and Gwange.

She assured residents that the agency is working with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to ensure humanitarian assistance is provided to those affected by the floods.

FG WARNS OF FLOODING IN 31 STATES

On April 17, the federal government said 148 LGAs in 31 states, including Borno, were at risk of severe flooding from April to November 2024. 

Joseph Utsev, the minister of water resources and sanitation, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the 2024 annual flood outlook (AFO) in Abuja.

Utsev listed the states to include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi and Kogi.

Others are Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe.

Meanwhile, about 200 houses have been destroyed by flood in Sabon-Gari and Zaria LGAs of Kaduna.

The incident was caused by persistent rainfall leading to rising water levels and severe overflow of nearby rivers.

On August 31, NEMA said 185 persons have lost their lives to flooding in 2024.