‘Catastrophic flooding’ looms as Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro, Zungeru dams discharge excess water
The four hydro-electric dams – Shiroro, Jebba, Kainji and Zungeru – located in Niger state have given notification towards releasing excess water any moment.
The notification was made available to Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA.
In a swift reaction, NSEMA alerted communities in the riverine areas in the state to relocate upstream to avoid the impending flood.
The Agency, in a statement made available to journalists in Minna Thursday, said the flooding that would follow the discharge of water from these dams would be catastrophic.
The Director General of NSEMA, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, who signed the statement also said the Nigerian Hydrological Services has subsequently advised that communities along Rivers Niger and Kaduna should relocate for the same reason.
“The Dams are releasing thousands of gallons of water per minute that could lead to the overflow of these Rivers and so we are advising our communities to limit activities around River banks during this peak rainy season to avoid flooding.
“Similarly, People living at riverine areas should relocate to safer grounds already identified” he declared.
Arah said that “NiMeTs latest prediction also indicated that the end of the rainy season will be accompanied by violent windstorm and that as a result, people should avoid standing under trees during rainfall and also stay away from substandard structures.
According to him, ”The State is already experiencing negative impacts of the flooding with houses, farm lands, bridges and link- roads washed away in some local government areas located up and down streams of the four Dams and the development has rendered many homeless and also affected the socio-economic activities of the communities.”
Some of the affected local government areas are Lavun, Magama, Rafi, Kontagora, Gbako,Mokwa,Lapai, Katcha,Agaie Suleja,Shiroro.Mashegu, Agwara, Bida, Edati, Munya, Bosso, Chanchaga, Paikoro and Wushishi adding that loss of lives had been recorded in these areas.
However, he did not mention the number of lives lost in the latest disasters.
