Flood looms in 8 states as Lagdo dam releases water

The DirectorGeneral of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib Ahmed, has said that the recent release of water from the Cameroon Lagdo dam would cause more flood disasters in downstream states of the country.

The downstream states to be affected are Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa, adding that Adamawa state has already been affected.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja during an emergency meeting with stakeholders in reaction to the flood disaster that hit Adamawa recently, the NEMA was alerted on a sudden increase in water level along the banks of River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states in the past 48 hours.

He said the sudden situation, which was attributed to the rapid release of water from Lagdo dam in the Republic of Cameroon, had resulted in the displacement of several inhabitants of the affected communities.

He said croplands and valuable infrastructure were at risk of getting washed away by the floodwater.

“As a result of the unfolding situation, I want to use this opportunity to alert authorities of state and local governments along rivers Niger and Benue basin areas to immediately activate their emergency response plans to avert potential damage and losses that will arise due to inundation of communities by flood waters.

“Furthermore, we are expecting to receive updates from the Nigeria Hydrological Services

Agency (NIHSA), NIMET, NEMA operations office in Yola, Adamawa State and from state emergency agencies of the frontline states to keep on updating you on the situation as it unfolds.”

He said the dashboard of the agency indicated that this year’s flood scenario had affected 159,157 persons, resulting in the loss of 28 persons and the displacement of 48, 168 individuals across 13 states in the country.