The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said eleven states are likely to be flooded following the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
OsunDailyNG reports that the Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, made this known at the National Emergency Coordination Forum meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ahmed said the states likely to be affected include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa.
He asserted that the notification of the modulated release of water from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prompted the meeting, and states located downstream must begin to make concerted efforts to address and mitigate the impact of the impending flooding.
Ahmed further disclosed that the country had commenced the release of water from the dam at a rate of 200 cubic metres per second, which is about 18 million cubic metres of water per day, and may result in all frontline states experiencing flooding in subsequent days and weeks.
The director-general added that all stakeholders should evacuate Nigerians from various communities to safer destinations to mitigate this year’s possible flood disaster.
The NEMA DG also called on Nigerians to remain calm as the agency would continue working with other government partners to assist, including food and non-food items, affected people in IDP camps and host communities.
He said, “The states downstream of the River Benue are Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa states. The information available from the flow level of the River Benue at the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) gauging station at Makurdi stood at 8.97 metres as of Aug. 25, 2023, compared to 8.80 metres 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 metres. Similarly, inland dams including Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro reported consistent flow regimes.”
