Federal Government, Friday, declared that the Alau Dam in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital, did not collapse as being speculated, rather it was Ngadda river overflow that caused the devastating flood. Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr Joseph Utsev said this during a press briefing on the situation of the Maiduguri flood, and other issues. Utsev along with the Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Hon Bello Goronyo, said that the flood was basically caused by massive inflow from Ngadda river, a major tributary of River Yedzaram. He said he and his technical team had gone to assess the situation of the flood, and also to sympathise with the government and people of the State. He also expressed commitment to a thorough overhaul and upgrade of the Alau Dam, saying it is non-negotiable, and any poor performance by contractors or officials involved will not go unpunished.
He promised to provide sanitation kits and water treatment facilities to displaced persons as part of the ministry’s immediate intervention. However, the Minister said that the Ministry’s delayed arrival was due to prior irrigation inspections in the South West but reassured that the Alau Dam would be prioritised. He said “We didn’t actually envisage that the level of the water that comes this year it will be of this magnitude because of the climate change, the downpour was in excess, and the rivers could not actually contain the water, and more water that was unexpected was being spilled into Alau Dam, and it has spilled over the dyke.
“There was no collapse of Alau Dam. It was one of the dykes that could not hold excess water that came from the tributaries that overflowed the dam. The Federal Government of Nigeria and indeed the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation deeply sympathise with the government and the good people of Borno State on the flood disaster that befell us a few days ago. This flood disaster, directly and indirectly affected millions of Nigerians, destroying homes, property, farmlands, roads, critical infrastructure and assets, among others. I identify with you all as we progress to navigate through this difficult time. This 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 kilometers from Maiduguri city centre owing to massive inflow from Ngadda river, a major tributary of River Yedzaram.
“The Minister of State, Rt. Hon. Bello Mohammad Goronyo and I have visited Maiduguri with Head of Agencies and Parastatals in my Ministry to express solidarity with the Governor, Borno State and to assess the extent of devastation caused by the flood. As I speak now, the team of technical experts from the Ministry, National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) including Chad Basin Development Authority are physically on ground to assess the situation in Alau Dam and the extent of the flood disaster and come up with useful findings and recommendations.”
Meanwhile, according to the Minister, reports of similar visits in Bauchi, Sokoto and Kebbi States have been produced and action is being taken, which he warned that the water people drink may be contaminated, “we should please be mindful of this, so as to avoid further outbreak of waterborne and communicable diseases.” However, he warned that there is going to be serious flooding in the Niger Delta region and other southern states, hence the government and people should activate emergency measures to mitigate the impact. “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 significant increase in flow levels tending towards RED alert. This warning means that a large volume of water is moving through our rivers down to the delta region. Therefore, we should increase vigilance on all ramifications and step up proactive measures to address any eventual flooding events in the southern part of the country”, he said.
