As Cameroon started releasing water from its Lagdo Dam, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warned Nigerians that they should prepare for flooding in nine states.
The states include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
When Mr. Mustapha Ahmed, Director General of NEMA, informed newsmen on the release of water from the dam on Saturday in Abuja, he made this disclosure.
He stated that the water discharge, which is anticipated to extend until the end of October, may have an impact on villages located along the banks of the River Benue in the nine impacted states.
According to Ahmed, the most recent spill had caused communities to be uprooted and would cause additional crop and infrastructure loss.
“In the last 48 hours, riverine villages and farmlands along the banks of the River Niger in the states of Adamawa, Taraba, and Benue have experienced an abrupt increase in flooding, according to NEMA.
“Several residents of the affected areas have been displaced as a result of the abrupt catastrophe, which is blamed on the quick release of water from Lagdo fam in the Republic of Cameroon.
READ ALSO: Residents of Benue are warned to expect flooding as Cameroon opens the Lagdo dam
Additionally, crops, lands, and priceless infrastructure are at danger of being destroyed by flood floods.
The escalation of flood waters in the River Benue flood plains was confirmed by situation reports from Adamawa State.
“The situation is expected to be replicated in downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa as the River Benue joins the River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta,” he stated.
In order to prevent potential losses and damage brought on by potential flooding of communities, the director general further advised states and local government entities in the River Niger and Benue Basins to immediately activate their emergency response plans.
159,157 people have been affected by the flooding so far, Ahmed continued, with 28 people killed and 48,168 people forced to flee their homes across 13 states.
However, he went on to say that the organisation would keep giving updates as it continued to receive situation reports from the emergency management organisations of the frontline states as well as the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).(NAN)
