The Cameroonian government has notified the Nigerian government of an imminent release of water from the Lagdo Dam in northern Cameroon to reduce pressure on the dam due to persistent rain.
In a letter sent to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on August 21 through Umar Salisu, the Director of African Affairs in Cameroon, the Cameroonian government said it plans to “open the flood gates of the Lagdo Dam on the Benue River in days ahead.”
Salisu said that the Cameroonian authorities will be releasing “only modulated variable small amount of water at a time to mitigate and avoid damages that the released water may cause along the River Benue basin in both Cameroon and in Nigeria.
NEMA was urged to take precautionary measures in order to reduce damages even as it was encouraged to sensitize the populace living in such areas for vigilance and all necessary precautions.
Residents of the affected areas were told to remain calm and to follow the instructions of the authorities.
Due to the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in the past, many Nigerian communities along the courses of River Niger and River Benue have been affected by floods.
At least, flooding killed more than 300 persons, injured 500 persons, and displaced 100,000 others in 2022, according to records disclosed by the NEMA. Similar floods in 2012 affected 21 states and led to more than 400 deaths.