According to reports, a catastrophic flooding in northeastern Nigeria has claimed the lives of 30 people and displaced over a million more. This tragic situation occurred early this week when Alau Dam, which impounds a river in the Konduga hamlet a few kilometers outside of Maiduguri, breached its banks. Half of the state capital, Maiduguri, was reportedly submerged by the high water, causing damage to lives, houses and other infrastructures. The state authorities claimed that the dam was already at its maximum capacity due to heavy rainfall.
An aide to the governor of Borno reported that one million people have been affected so far, adding that the figure might increase as efforts to register displaced individuals commence. In places impacted by flooding, thousands of people are still stuck in buildings and on trees. A post office and a teaching hospital are among the other Infrastructure impacted by the tragedy. Rescue efforts are struggling against the overwhelming odds as many inhabitants of Maiduguri are still missing or submerged in the storm, a few days after catastrophic flood struck the city. Families that were able to flee are still unable to locate lost family members and are worried about the worst.
Over 200,000 individuals had been displaced so far.
Unidentified bodies have reportedly been discovered floating in the floodwaters, according to eyewitnesses, raising questions about the safety of those who have gone missing, especially kids. The most severely affected neighborhoods in Maiduguri are Customs, SS Quarters, and the 505 Housing Estate. Rescue crews, who are already overworked, encountered difficulties to get motorboats to go through the hazardous waters in these locations. Although the state administration is spearheading the rescue effort, military forces and civilian volunteers have been motivated to offer support considering the deteriorating circumstances. They have concentrated their efforts in areas such as Customs, where people are stuck on a flyover bridge.
The government of Borno State has started providing relief aid to those affected by the floods. Babagana Zulum, the Borno state governor reported that the flooding in the state has affected over 1 million people and has displaced over 200,000 individuals so far, with their houses completely submerged by the flood. Following the partial destruction of a local zoo by water and the escape of some animals in the state, there are concerns about wildlife attack. Ali Abatach Don Best, General Manager of the zoo confirmed that the flooding at the Borno State Museum Park killed or washed away roughly 80% of the animals there, while an unknown number of reptiles managed to escape.
Functionality of the dam has been deteriorating for years.
Locals in the state noted that since the central market was ravaged during the storm, food has become more expensive. In addition to rising inflation, many people in Borno State and most of northern Nigeria were already suffering from a harsh food shortage. The World Food Programme reports that as the lean season draws to a conclusion, the number of cases of Malnutrition in the region has increased to 4.4 million people who are food insecure. This raises the concern how the local residents will navigate this tragic situation. The collapse of the Alau dam has resulted in some of the most severe flooding the area had experienced in the past thirty years, forcing many locals to evacuate their homes.
Back in the late 1980s, the dam was constructed to provide Irrigation support to Maiduguri farmers. It also frequently aids in reducing flooding caused by the Ngadda River, which occasionally receives higher-than-normal inflows from water sources that are connected to the enormous Lake Chad. The dam’s functionality has been deteriorating for years as a result of sporadic and partial maintenance by the federal and state government. This was forced on by a number of circumstances, such as a lack of financing, difficulties with local security, and inadequate technical capability.
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Flooding has occasionally happened in the neighborhood as a result of a number of causes, such as heavy downpour, water spilling over the dam, or Ngadda River overflow. Numerous Nigerian rivers, including the Ngadda River near the Alau Dam, overflowed in 2012 as a result of torrential downpour. Significant floods brought about by this incident damaged thousands of homes and forced many people in Maiduguri and its surroundings to relocate. The overall flooding crisis was exacerbated by the dam’s incapacity to handle heavy inflows.