The Niger State Government, yesterday, deployed disaster management officials and intensified flood alert campaigns across all the riverine communities following floods in neighbouring Kogi and Benue states. Destructive rainstorms and the consequent flood have had adverse effects, especially in communities where major rivers have their tributaries.
The state is traversed by eight major rivers such as Niger, Kaduna, Gbako, Eko, Gurara, Ebba, Egga, Mariga. It also houses three major dams, Shiroro, Kainji and Jebba, with the fourth one in Zungeru, currently under construction.
The Acting Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Malam Garba Salihu, told our correspondent on phone that the government was taking proactive measures to avert what had become a recurring calamity.
“With eight major rivers and tributaries and three functional dams, what has just happened in Kogi, Benue and parts of Kwara would be child’s play if it happens in Niger State; so we have to intensify our campaign for communities, especially those on the river banks to relocate,” he stated.
Salihu said already reports from the management of Jebba and Kainji dams indicated that the volume of water in their reservoirs as at May was more than what was recorded in the last 10 years. “What this means is that the dams are likely to release water, and looking at the intensity of rain so far, there is the possibility of flood across the state,” he explained.
He said the local government areas prone to flood every year included Mokwa, Shiroro, Lapai, Borgu, Lavun, Katcha, Paikoro, Munya, Wushishi, Gurara, Bida, Magama, Bosso, Rafi, Edati, Gbako, Agaie, Agawara and Mashegu.
