The Federal Government explains the cause of the Maiduguri Flood Disaster.

The Federal Government explains the cause of the Maiduguri Flood Disaster. 

The Federal Government has said that the recent flood in Maiduguri was not caused by the Alau Dam breaking. Instead, it was caused by too much water from the Ngadda River.

The Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Joseph Utsev, said this at a meeting in Abuja on Friday. He explained that the Alau Dam was still standing, but the water from the Ngadda River was too much for it to handle.

The minister said: “We didn’t actually envisage that the water level this year will be of this magnitude.

“Because of climate change, the downpour was in excess, and the rivers could not actually contain the water.

“So, more water than was unexpected spilled into Alau Dam, and spilled over the dyke.

“Alau Dam did not collapse. It was one of the dykes that could not hold excess water coming from the tributaries; so it overflowed the dam.

“So, this flood disaster that affected Maiduguri and Jere areas of Borno State was largely due to overflow of water from Alau Dam, which is about 10 kilometers from Maiduguri city center, owing to massive inflow from Ngadda river, a major tributary of River Yedzaram.”

The minister also warned that there might be more flooding in the Niger Delta and other southern states. He asked the government and people to get ready to prevent more damage.

Sadly, over 30 people have died, and more than 400,000 have lost their homes in Maiduguri. The Borno government has opened internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for victims across the state. The North-East Development Commission has promised to help those affected by the flood.