The federal government has disclosed plans to build five buffer dams along the Rivers Niger and Benue axis to curb the incessant flooding resulting from release of water from the Lagdo dam.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Mr. Umar Muhammed who was represented by the Director of operational hydrology at the agency, Femi Bejide during an interview on Channels Tv.
According to him, the agency has sent a proposal to the Presidency to build five buffer dams to contain excess water from the Lagdo dam in Cameroon.
Also speaking, he stated that recent flooding in Borno and many other states in the North was caused by excessive rainfall due to the effects of climate change.
He said, “What has to be done is that there is a report that has been submitted to the Presidency. We have to have buffer dams and five have been proposed and the federal government is looking at that already.”
“In the interim, some of our dams have to be desilted. The tributaries of the Rivers Niger and Benue have to be expanded”
He further noted that the Cameroonian authorities has already begun releasing water from the Lagdo dam but the federal government reached an agreement with them that the water be released gradually to reduce the volume of water that the river Benue will receive.
On the actions of the agency to mitigate the impact of the water release, the Director-General stated that earlier in the year, NIHSA released the impact study on the floods for the year to states and local governments across the country.
He also called on residents living around the flood plains to relocate from the area and state governments to desilt canals, inland waterways to ensure the free flow of water from the River Benue through the tributaries across the Niger-Delta into the Atlantic ocean.
Backstory
Residents living along the states of the Rivers Niger and Benue tributaries have had to endure incessant floodings due to the release of water from the Lagdo dam in Cameroon. The major states being affected by the release include; Kogi, Edo, Benue, Adamawa, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross Rivers states.
- Earlier this week, the NIHSA alerted Nigerians that the Cameroonian authorities will begin releasing water from the Lagdo dam from September 17th 2024 for a period of about two weeks.
- In recent weeks, several northern states have experienced flash floods that have devastated homes, properties, and farmlands. In Maiduguri, the collapse of the Alau dam has left significant parts of the city submerged. In response, the federal government has announced a N3 billion support package for affected states nationwide.