FG Alerts States About Water Release From Cameroon Dam
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has advised states along the Benue River to increase their vigilance.
This advise follows the announcement from the management of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon regarding plans to open the dam for water to gush out.
In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, NIHSA’s Director General, Umar Ibrahim Mohamed, noted that the states most likely to be affected include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers.
The agency urged all levels of government to take proactive measures to mitigate potential flooding due to rising river levels during this time.
The water release will begin at 100 cubic meters per second (approximately 8.64 million cubic meters per day) and is expected to increase to 1,000 cubic meters per second over the next week, depending on inflows from the upstream Garoua River, a key source for the reservoir and a major contributor to the Benue River.
“The Cameroonian dam authorities assured NIHSA that the water releases will be managed to avoid exceeding the Benue River’s capacity and triggering significant flooding downstream in Nigeria.
“The regulated releases will stop once there is a noticeable decrease in inflow into the Lagdo reservoir,” the statement indicated.
NIHSA reassured the public that there is no immediate cause for alarm, as significant flooding downstream in Nigeria is not expected, with current water levels along the Benue River remaining within safe thresholds.
The agency also committed to closely monitoring water levels along the Benue and other national rivers, promising regular updates to avert any flood-related incidents.