Flooding NEMA issues warning to Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, others. The governments of Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, and other frontline states have been instructed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to relocate communities at danger of flooding to safer locations.
Niger, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Cross River, Rivers, and Bayelsa are among the other frontline states.
NEMA Director-General Mustapha Ahmed provided the guidance on Monday in Abuja during a technical emergency meeting on the flood situation in Nigeria.
Ahmed said that the need for the warning arose from the Republic of Cameroon’s Lagdo dam operators starting to release extra water from the reservoir, which will eventually reach Nigeria.
He continued by saying that some of the states would also see significant flooding as a result of anticipated above-average precipitation and the combined flows of the Niger and Benue rivers.
The Lagdo dam operators in the Republic of Cameroon have started releasing extra water from the reservoir as of September 13 based on our discussion with the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
“We are aware that the released water floods villages that have already been affected by excessive precipitation as it cascades down to Nigeria through the River Benue and its tributaries.
According to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Nigeria’s interior reservoirs, including Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro, are also anticipated to overflow between now and the end of October, complicating the situation farther downstream.
The Kainji and Jebba dams in Nigeria have reportedly already begun releasing extra water from their reservoirs, according to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
On frontline states and towns along the Niger and Benue rivers, he added, “this would have catastrophic implications.”
He continued by saying that it was crucial for the state governments in the frontline states to designate secure higher grounds for the evacuation of potential victims.
In order to provide the affected people with a reasonable degree of comfort throughout the period of potential displacement, Ahmed said, it was also necessary to stockpile food and non-food products, potable water, cleanliness, safety, and security.
