Lagdo Dam may begin full water discharge – NEMA warns

Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, says the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon may commence full discharge of excess water if the region experiences heavy rainfall. 

Speaking yesterday in Abuja during the National Emergency Coordination Forum meeting, he said Cameroon had commenced release of water from the dam at the rate of 200 cubic meters per second which is about 18 million cubic meter of water per day.

He said this might, within days, cause flooding in Nigerian states along the River Benue, including Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa.

Ahmed, however, said there was no cause for alarm as the dam had been closed after the initial opening.

He said the damage caused by the opening of the dam could not be ascertained until the end of the flood season.

He said the information available from the flow level of the River Benue by the  Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency gauging station in Makurdi stood at 8.97 meters as of August 25, compared to 8.80 meters on the same date in 2022. 

He said the state governments had the responsibility of evacuating people at the disaster-prone areas to safer areas.

“While it’s imperative for everyone to remain calm, NEMA will continue to work with other government partners to provide succor including food and non-food items to affected people in the IDP camps and the host communities while building their resilience through livelihood supports, especially with the distribution of agricultural inputs and other livelihood items.”

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