Following announcements from Cameroon regarding regulated water releases from the Lagdo Dam. Nigerian authorities issued flood warnings for 11 states.
This decision comes in response to heavy rainfall in West and Central Africa. Umar Mohammed, the director-general of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NHSA), stated that the water discharges will be gradual to prevent significant flooding downstream, but warned that affected states lie along the Benue River’s flow path.
As per Mohammed, water discharge could rise to 1,000 m³/s over the next week due to inflows from the Garoua River, a major tributary to the Benue.
Cameroon’s utility company ENEO, which manages the dam, confirmed that controlled releases had begun but clarified that the dam had not been fully opened yet. But historically, Lagdo Dam’s releases caused severe flooding in Nigeria, as in 2022, flooding due to dam, resulted in 600 fatalities and damages worth $9 billion.
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Meanwhile, the flood alert follows recent devastating rains in northeastern Nigeria, where a neglected dam collapse displaced thousands in Maiduguri. Thus, leading to multiple casualties and significant infrastructure damage.
President Bola Tinubu emphasized the urgent need for assistance during a recent visit to Maiduguri, where he addressed the ongoing challenges posed by environmental issues and climate change. As of early September, 1.3 million hectares of land across Nigeria had already been flooded, affecting both residential and agricultural areas.
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