The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised Nigerians not to entertain fear over the release of the excess water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
Mr Manzo Ezekiel, Head of the agency’s press unit, who made the submission in a press statement on Monday, August 28, 2023, in Abuja, said that the agency is working with critical stakeholders at the federal, states and local governments to ensure that the release does not cause negative impacts.
He said that efforts were already on gear to prevent much havoc especially on the low-lying communities along the states likely to be affected.
“The states on the downstream of River Benue are: Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa.
“The agency envisaged this release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam, taken note of the likely impacts and considered in the preparations for mitigation and response to the 2023 flood alert.
“Information available from the flow level of River Benue at Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) gauging station in Makurdi stood at 8.97 meters as of Aug. 25, compared to 8.80 meters on the same date in 2022.
“In contrast, NIHSA has also provided that the flow level of the River Niger system, specifically 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.
“With regards to the hydrological station downstream, the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers in Lokoja, Kogi are currently within normal limits.
“The downstream monitoring station, however, registered a flow level of 7.80 meters on Aug. 25, compared to 8.24 meters on the same date in 2022,” he said.
By Ruth Oketunde
