The multi-billion naira Dadinkowa Dam in Gombe State is at risk of imminent collapse due to severe flooding, according to Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa, Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC).
Speaking in Minna, Yelwa revealed that officials from the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, and the Gombe State government have urgently mobilized to the dam site to assess the situation and explore options to prevent the disaster.
In addressing the press, Yelwa highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that one potential solution involves opening the dam’s spillway gates to release some of the impounded water. However, he warned that this action could pose a significant danger to communities downstream.
“Given the scale of devastation this year, which has impacted critical infrastructure and livelihoods, and in light of predictions of further flooding, we urge the federal government to declare a state of emergency on flooding, particularly in N-HYPPADEC member states,” Yelwa stated.
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He disclosed that the current rainy season floods have claimed 200 lives and displaced 208,000 people across 28 states. A staggering 80 percent of these casualties and displacements occurred in N-HYPPADEC catchment states, exacerbated by their locations and the electricity generation activities in these areas.
Yelwa lamented the destruction of homes and farmlands, attributing the situation to poor infrastructure, neglect of environmental guidelines, and ineffective dam management. He warned that the situation could deteriorate further, citing preliminary reports from Benue State, where 634 communities have been affected and nearly 30,000 farmlands have been washed away. Similar impacts were reported in Kebbi, Gombe, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Kaduna states.
“This poses a serious threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts towards achieving food security and wealth creation in the country,” Yelwa stressed.
In response to the crisis, Yelwa called for a repositioning of relevant agencies and stakeholders to take proactive measures in containing the flood’s impact and ensuring prompt responses to any further occurrences.
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He detailed N-HYPPADEC’s interventions in flood-affected areas, including the construction of a 625-meter hydraulic drainage system in Koton Karfe, Kogi State, a 1.2-kilometre hydraulic drainage system, and a 2.5-kilometre de-silting on a dyke flood plain in Benue State. Additionally, the commission has executed flood control projects in Yauri, Kebbi State, and erosion control projects in Patigi, Kwara State. Housing schemes for about 500 flood victims are also under construction in Niger, Kogi, Kwara, and Kebbi states.
Yelwa concluded by urging communities living along flood plains to remain vigilant and adhere to instructions from relevant authorities to prevent further loss of life and property.