Minister of water resources and sanitation, Engr Joseph Utsev has alerted on the probable river flooding on rivers Niger and Benue and some of their tributaries, stating that a large volume of water is moving through rivers down to the Niger Delta region.
The minister, who stated this in Abuja yesterday at a press briefing on the flooding situation in Maiduguri, Borno State, has therefore called for vigilance on all ramifications and proactive measures to address any eventual flooding events in the southern part of the country.
He said the flood disaster that affected Maiduguri and Jere areas of Borno State was largely due to overflow of water from Alau Dam which is about 10 kilometres from Maiduguri city centre owing to massive inflow from Ngadda River, a major tributary of River Yedzaram.
Utsev said, “As we mourn the losses in Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi and other states affected by flooding, the attention of Nigerians is hereby drawn to the probable river flooding on Rivers Niger and Benue and some of their tributaries.
“The daily flow on these rivers indicates a significant increase in flow levels tending towards RED alert. This warning means that large volume of water is moving through our rivers down to the Delta region,” he stated.
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Recall that earlier this year, the ministry had alerted on expected flood scenarios for the year 2024 through the Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) publication of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
The Flood Outlook highlighted the High, Moderate and Low Flood Risk Areas in the country. Borno, Bauchi, Jigawa, Taraba, Yobe, Benue, Gombe, and many others states were among the 31 states listed as high flood-risk areas.
The minister has also raised concern over contamination of water and the impending outbreak of waterborne diseases.
He said, “It should be noted however, that as we try to recover from this disaster, the water we drink may be contaminated, we should please be mindful of this, to avoid further outbreaks of waterborne and communicable diseases.”
Utsev, however, informed that the team of technical experts from the ministry, National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) including the Chad Basin Development Authority are on ground to assess the situation in Alau Dam and the extent of the flood disaster and come up with useful findings and recommendations.
He urged governments at the sub-national level and other stakeholders to take heed to the flood early warning information from the ministry and take proactive measures to forestall future flooding and activate response measures to alleviate the suffering of the citizens that have been affected by floods.