Eleven states placed on flood alert as Cameroon releases water from Lagdo dam

No fewer than 11 states have been put on red alert as the Federal Government on Tuesday raised the  alarm on the release of excess water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.

A statement by the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Umar Muhammed on Tuesday said the authorities of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon would initiate controlled water releases starting from  Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

The statement added, “The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency wishes to notify the general public that the authorities of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon have communicated to the agency that they will initiate controlled water releases at a rate of 100m³/s (8,640,000m³/day) starting today, 17 September 2023.

“The water discharge is anticipated to progressively escalate to 1000m³/s over the next seven days based on the inflow from the upstream Garoua River, which serves as the primary source into the reservoir and a significant tributary to the Benue River.

“Nonetheless, the dam operators have indicated that the planned water discharges will be gradual to avoid surpassing the conveyance capacity of the Benue river system and triggering substantial flooding downstream in Nigeria. The overflow from the Lagdo Dam is projected to cease once there is a noticeable reduction in the flow into the Lagdo reservoir.”

While the  agency said there was no cause for alarm as “major flooding downstream in Nigeria is not anticipated,” it warned all states bordering the Benue River system to “heighten their vigilance and implement appropriate preparedness measures to mitigate potential flooding impacts that may arise due to an increase in flow levels of our major rivers during this period.”

It added that government at the federal, states and local councils are expected to jointly work together to avoid calamity.

The states are Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, and Rivers.

The dam is located in the Northern Province of Cameroon, on the Benue River, in the Niger basin.

The release of water from Lagdo Dam has long been a cause of flooding in many Nigeria communities.