Vincent Ujumadu, Peter Duru, Ozioruva Aliu, Davies Ihemnachor, Femi Bolaji, Akuopha Ochuko, Wole Mosadomi, and Denise Agbo reported that after the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) issued a warning about Cameroon’s opening of the Lagdo Dam, residents in 11 states have become deeply concerned. Their apprehension primarily arises from the potential threat of flooding, which poses a serious risk to both lives and property.
This heightened state of panic can be attributed to the fact that past instances of dam openings resulted in significant and distressing flood events. Even now, those affected by last year’s catastrophic flooding have not fully recovered due to the extensive damage left in its wake.
In an effort to prevent a recurrence of such destruction, NEMA has strongly advised residents in flood-prone areas within these 11 states, which are situated downstream of River Benue, to relocate to safer areas. NEMA revealed that Cameroon has begun releasing water from the dam at a rate of 200 cubic meters per second, totalling approximately 18 million cubic meters of water daily.
Consequently, NEMA has urged all relevant stakeholders to initiate evacuation procedures immediately, emphasizing that the government will continue to collaborate with other partners to minimize the impact of this impending disaster.
The affected states encompass Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Anambra, along with Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa. Investigative efforts conducted that these states have indicated that residents are not heeding the relocation advisory seriously, and there has been no concrete action taken by the government in response to this critical situation.
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