On September 17, 2024, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) announced the gradual release of water from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam to prevent potential flooding in Nigeria.
This precautionary measure aims to manage rising water levels that could impact communities along the Benue River.
As the water was being released, Nigerian communities along the Benue River were preparing for possible flooding.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that last year’s floods, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds, caused damages amounting to 9 billion dollars.
The World Bank (WB) estimates the destruction to be between 3.79 billion dollars and 9.12 billion dollars.
The Lagdo Dam, located in northern part of the Republic of Cameroon, poses decades of threat to Nigeria due to its proximity and huge volume.
Nigeria and Cameroon originally agreed to build two dams: one in Cameroon to release water and the Dasin Hausa Dam in Nigeria to contain it to prevent floods.
The Dasin Hausa Dam was planned to be 2.5 times larger than the Lagdo Dam, supplying electricity to northern Cameroon and irrigating 15,000 hectares downstream.
Located in Dasin Village, Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa State, the project was designed to generate 300 megawatts of electricity and irrigate about 150,000 hectares of land across Adamawa, Taraba and Benue States.
Unfortunately, the Nigerian government has yet to complete the construction of the dam and it remains absent from the list of priority or ongoing projects in the administration.
In November 2023, the Senate urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritise its construction to mitigate flood-related deaths caused by water releases from Lagdo Dam.
The issue was raised in a motion titled “Need to Prevent Loss of Lives Caused by Floods and Undredged River Benue in Adamawa State,” sponsored by Sen. Abbas Iya.
The Senate also resolved to include the dredging of the River Benue in the 2024 budget to address flooding and its impact.
However, bureaucratic delays and inconsistent budget allocations have left downstream communities vulnerable.
Successive governments in Nigeria have initiated feasibility studies and allocated funds for the dam, but that was how far it went.
The 2021 and 2022 national budgets earmarked billions for the project but only a fraction was disbursed.
Experts and environmentalists have criticised the government’s inability to complete the dam.
They say emergency measures like early warning systems cannot replace the long-term protection a functional buffer dam would provide.
A hydrologist based in Yola, Dr Ibrahim Musa, says every year there were funds allocated on paper, but nothing on ground to show real commitment.
“The Dasin Hausa dam is not just a preventive measure; it is a lifeline for communities along the Benue River”, he said.
The consequences of delaying the Dasin Hausa Dam have been severe.
In 2012, Nigeria faced one of its worst flood disasters when water was released from the Lagdo Dam, displacing over 2 million people and destroying vast agricultural land.
Subsequent releases in 2019 and 2022 caused similar devastation, displacing tens of thousands and severely impacting food production.
A farmer from Benue, Jonathan Ikwebe, recounted how the floodwaters from the Lagdo Dam destroyed his rice fields in 2022, stating: “We are at the mercy of the water.
“The government promised the dam, but we are yet to see any real progress, each year, we wait, and each year, we lose our crops”.
In response to frequent flooding, the Nigerian government has implemented short-term emergency measures, including early warning systems, relocation efforts, and emergency relief by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The NIHSA Director-General, Umar Mohammed, announced that the initial release rate from the Lagdo Dam would be 100 cubic meters per second, equivalent to 8.64 million cubic meters of water daily.
“This rate could increase up to 1,000 cubic meters per second, depending on inflows from the upstream Garoua River.
“The water release will be monitored closely over the next seven days, with adjustments made based on the Garoua River’s inflows”, he said.
Mohammed reassured the public that measures were in place to control the flow and reduce flooding risk, with the release ceasing once inflows to the Lagdo reservoir are manageable.
He urged states bordering the Benue River, including Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers, to remain vigilant and prepare for any potential rise in water levels.
But in spite of these measures experts argue that without the completion of the Dasin Hausa Dam, these responses will only serve as temporary fixes.
Officials from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation have repeatedly vouched their commitment to completing the dam, but logistical, financial, and political hurdles persist.
The immediate past Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr Suleiman Adamu, acknowledged the slow pace of the project.
He attributed it to the dam’s scale and cost, and stressed the need for coordination between federal and state governments.
Critics, however, argue that political will to prioritise the project has been insufficient.
“We’ve had countless feasibility studies, budget allocations, and promises. What’s lacking is the political urgency to finish the Dasin Hausa Dam.
“Without it, Nigeria will continue to be vulnerable to these predictable flood disasters”, said Dr Amina Bello, an environment advocate.
Efforts to revive the project are ongoing with renewed talks between Nigeria and Cameroon to enhance cooperation on flood management.
The Nigerian government is also seeking additional funding from international donors and agencies, such as the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank, to accelerate the dam’s completion.
As floodwaters from the Lagdo Dam approach, residents along the Benue River are apprehensive.
Communities in states like Adamawa, Benue, and Taraba have been advised to evacuate, though many hesitate, fearing the loss of their homes and farmlands.
Maryam Bako, a farmer in Benue, expressed her anxiety, saying: “We lost everything last year: our crops, our home. Now we are afraid it will happen again”.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said in the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook that approximately 35,870,100 Nigerians in 10 states may be worst hit by floods this year.
He mentioned the Tinubu’s approval of 108 billion naira for flood prevention across the 36 states, based on recommendations from the Presidential Committee on Flood Disaster Prevention.
Utsev urged state governments and stakeholders to follow early warning systems and implement preventive actions.
He pledged the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting affected communities, with plans for long-term solutions and budgetary allocations for 2024 and 2025 targeting dam rehabilitation.
Dr Lawrence Ebipade, an environmentalist, recommended proactive measures to address the ongoing flood crisis.
He emphasised the importance of completing the Dasin Hausa Dam, which was originally designed to mitigate the impact of water releases from the Lagdo Dam.
Ebipade is worried about the government’s reactive approach to flooding and called for sustained action to protect vulnerable communities.
Stakeholders believe that completing the Dasin Hausa Dam remains Nigeria’s most viable long-term solution to the recurring flood crisis.
They opine that until then, affected communities can only hope that emergency measures will be sufficient to mitigate flooding.
(NANFeatures)
