Nigeria Hydro Services Agency, NIHSA, advises states by Benue River to stay alert.
The advice is prompted by the current plan of the Lagdo Dam management in Cameroon to initiate the release of water.
In a statement shared with reporters on Tuesday by NIHSA, signed by the Director General and CEO, Umar Ibrahim Mohamed, he highlighted the states at risk from the dam’s water discharge: Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers.
The agency also urged governments at all levels to put in place adequate preparedness measures to lessen the potential flooding that may arise from increasing river levels during this time.
According to the statement, the water release will commence at a rate of 100 cubic meters per second (equivalent to 8.64 million cubic meters per day) and is projected to gradually rise to 1,000 cubic meters per second within the next seven days, depending on the inflows from the upstream Garoua River, the main source of the reservoir and a notable tributary to the Benue River.
“The Cameroonian dam authorities assured NIHSA that the water releases will be controlled to prevent surpassing the Benue River’s capacity and triggering significant flooding downstream in Nigeria.
“The regulated water discharges will stop once there is a noticeable reduction in inflow into the Lagdo reservoir,” as stated in the announcement.
NIHSA stressed that there was no immediate need for alarm, as significant flooding downstream in Nigeria was not expected, mentioning that current water levels along the Benue River were within safe boundaries.
The agency also reassured the public of its commitment to continuously monitor water levels along the Benue and other national inland rivers, issuing regular updates to prevent any flood-related calamities.