The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, has warned States along the Benue River of the impending release of water from the Cameroon Dam.
The Government, therefore, urged them to increase their vigilance.
The call became necessary following the ongoing plan by the management of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon to open the dam for water to gush out.
This was contained in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the NIHSA, signed by the Director General and the Chief Executive Officer, Umar Ibrahim Mohamed. He gave the States likely to be affected by the opening of the dam as Adamawa, Taraba and Benue. Others are Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers.
NIHSA also called on Governments at all levels to implement adequate preparedness. The agency urged them to put measures to mitigate potential flooding that may result from rising river levels during this period.
According to the statement, the release of water will begin at a rate of 100 cubic meters per second (8.64 million cubic meters per day). And it is expected to gradually increase to 1,000 cubic meters per second over the next seven days. This is depending on inflows from the upstream Garoua River, the primary feeder of the reservoir and a significant contributor to the Benue River.
“The Cameroonian dam authorities assured NIHSA that the water releases will be regulated to avoid exceeding the capacity of the Benue River. Thereby triggering major flooding downstream in Nigeria.
“The controlled water releases will cease once there is a noticeable decrease in inflow into the Lagdo reservoir,” it read.
Allaying the fears of Nigerians of a repeat of the Maiduguri flood episode, NIHSA said there was no immediate cause for concern.
It noted that significant flooding downstream in Nigeria was not anticipated. The agency added that current water levels along the Benue River remained within safe limits.
NIHSA also assured the public that it would continue to closely monitor water levels along the Benue and other national inland rivers. It also assured of providing regular updates to prevent any flood-related disasters.
source: Daily Post
Follow us for more news on our WhatsApp News Channels @
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaC505jB4hdZ5Yx9g82U
