The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has asked
states along River Benue to evacuate residents in flood-prone areas due to the
opening of Lagdo dam in Cameroon.
Mustapha Ahmed, director-general of NEMA, spoke on Wednesday
during the national emergency coordination forum meeting, in Abuja.
According to Ahmed, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi,
and Anambra states could be flooded due to the release of water from the dam.
Other states at risk of being flooded are Enugu, Edo, Delta,
Rivers and Bayelsa.
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.
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