As a result of the the release of the Lagdo dam in Cameroon, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has urged states along the River Benue to order the evacuation of citizens in flood-prone areas.
NEMA’s director-general, Mustapha Ahmed, spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the meeting of the National Emergency Coordination Forum.
According to Ahmed, the discharge of water from the dam might cause the states of Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Anambra to flood.
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Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa are more states that could experience flooding.
He said the meeting was held following the alert received by the ministry of foreign affairs concerning the planned release of water from the Cameroon dam.
He said Cameroon has opened the dam at the rate of 200 cubic meters per second, adding that the level is about 18 million cubic meters of water daily.
“The states on the downstream of River Benue are Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states,” he said.
“Information available from the flow level of the River Benue at Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) gauging station at Makurdi stood at 8.97 meters as of Aug. 25, 2023 compared to 8.80 meters on the same date in 2022.
“Also, NIHSA has provided that the flow level of the River Niger system, especially at Niamey, Niger Republic, remains stable at a normal level of 4.30 meters.
“Similarly, inland dams including Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro reported consistent flow regimes.”
The director-general of NEMA called on stakeholders to commence evacuation immediately, adding that the government would continue to work with other partners to mitigate the impact.
