Five of the nine states in the Niger Delta Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers are among the areas expected to be impacted by potential flooding, following the warning from the Federal Government regarding the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.

In a statement issued by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), signed by its Director-General, Umar Ibrahim Mohamed, the agency urged federal, state, and local governments to increase vigilance and implement necessary measures to mitigate the potential impacts of rising water levels in major rivers and waterways.

According to NIHSA, controlled water releases from the Lagdo Dam will begin on September 17, 2024, and The water discharge is expected to escalate to 1000 m3/s over the next seven days, based on inflows from the Garoua River, a key tributary to the Benue River.

The Cameroonian authorities have assured that the release will be regulated to avoid overwhelming the capacity of the Benue River and prevent severe flooding downstream in Nigeria. They also mentioned that the release will continue until a noticeable decrease in inflow into the Lagdo reservoir is observed.

Despite these assurances, NIHSA has emphasized the need for caution, though the current water levels along the Benue River remain within safe limits. The agency assured the public that water levels along the Benue and other inland rivers would be closely monitored, with regular updates provided to prevent flood-related disasters. In addition to the Niger Delta states, other areas likely to be impacted include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Anambra.

This alert follows a series of flood warnings issued earlier in the year by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) warning residents in flood-prone areas to brace for challenges posed by flooding. In February 2024, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources warned that 32 states were at risk of flooding during the rainy season. NEMA issued a severe flood warning in March, while NIHSA predicted that 178 local government areas across 32 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), could experience flooding.
True to these predictions, flooding has already begun to affect parts of the Niger Delta. In Edo State, for example, flash floods have impacted 23 local government areas, with 155 communities reportedly battling the disaster. With the intensifying rains and the impending release of water from the Lagdo Dam, experts predict that more communities across the region could experience severe flooding. Despite the early warnings, there is little indication that concrete flood prevention measures have been implemented by either national or state governments.

This is not the first time that the region has experienced severe flooding due to release of water from the Lagdo dam. In 2022, widespread flooding in the region caused by this water release, killed more than 600 people, displaced around 1.4 million and damaged or destroyed 440,000 hectares of farmland across Nigeria. Source: Reuters Report

State governments and individuals are advised to take proactive steps to safeguard lives and property. Residents in these vulnerable areas are advised to relocate to safer regions, as governments at all levels are urged to deploy emergency response teams and resources to mitigate the damage expected from the floods.