— No threat of flood now – NIHSA
By John Oba
Abuja
The Federal Government is said to have spent N104 billion on the construction of the Kasimbila dam in Benue state, this is even as the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) called on Nigerians to watch out against flooding.
The permanent secretary, Federal ministry of Water Resource, Alhaji Baba Umar Faruk made this known yesterday at an emergency meeting with the director generals of the River Basin Authorities (RBA) to access the flood situation in the country at the minister’s conference hall.
He said the dam which is almost completed will generate 150 megawatt of electricity which will serve the areas the dam is located. He added that the meeting was convened to discuss the issue of flooding and how action could be taken on potential flooding zones in the country.
The director general of the NIHSA, Mr. John Ayoade Shamonda, who gave the gathering information and prediction on the flow situation in the country, said there is no cause for flood alarm in Nigeria, based on the reported submitted on the flow situation in the country but urged that Nigerians must watch out, since the country is still within the flow period.
“It is pertinent to note that we have to maintain a closer observation of the Benue axis that has been showing signs of increase in flows. The pockets of floods observed in most of our urban cities have been due to obstruction of drainages and the water channels.
“The LGAs are to be sensitized on the need to clear all the avenues for the right of way of water for free-flow and passage of surface run-off, during this rainy season period,” he said.
Most of the directors while presenting their reports said there was no serious threat yet but that the major problem is that of erosion as flooding cannot be isolated from erosion.