Nigerians have been warned to brace themselves for an impending flood as Cameroonian authorities are set to release water from the Lagdo Dam. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), nine states could be affected: Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa.
Mustapha Ahmed, the Director General of NEMA, announced this during an emergency meeting when he provided an update on the flow of water from the Lagdo Dam.
According to Ahmed, the dam’s recent discharge of water has displaced 48,100 people throughout 13 states of the federation and has the potential to destroy crops and other infrastructure.
He went on to say that since the dam was opened on August 14, 28 people have died and 159,157 people have been affected.
The NEMA DG urged all State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) chiefs to mitigate the disaster’s impacts.
He said: “NEMA has been alerted to the sudden increased inundation of riparian communities and farmlands along the banks of the River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba, and Benue states in the past 48 hours.
“The sudden situation is attributed to the rapid release of waters from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon and has resulted in the displacement of several inhabitants of the affected communities.
“Furthermore, croplands and valuable infrastructure are at risk of getting washed away by the flood waters. Situation reports from Adamawa State confirm the upsurge of flood waters along the flood plains of River Benue.
“The situation is expected to be replicated in the downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa as the River Benue joins the River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta.”
NEMA also issued a warning to state and local government authorities along the Niger and Benue river basins, advising them to promptly initiate their emergency response plans in order to prevent possible losses and damage that may result from community flooding.
“The NEMA situation room dashboard indicates that this year’s flood scenario has affected 159,157 persons, resulted in the loss of 28 persons, and caused the displacement of 48,168 individuals in 13 states across Nigeria,” he added in reference to the number of people affected by floods thus far this year.