Flooding: FG begins assessment of dams to arrest situation, avert recurrence

The Federal Government has begun an assessment of dams across the country to stem the tide of flooding in Nigeria.

The Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said this in Owerri on Friday, while addressing newsmen after an assessment tour of dams in the southeast.

Utsev, represented by Mrs Oluwatosin Abiola, the Deputy Director, Geo-technical Divisional Head, Dams Department in the ministry, said that President Bola Tinubu’s directive was to critically analyse the integrity of dams in Nigeria.

The minister, who heads the inter ministerial committee, said the committee would also assess the environmental and social impacts on local communities and the extended environment.

“President Bola Tinubu wants all hands on deck to arrest the challenge of flooding, hence the setting up of this inter ministerial technical committee.

“We have visited the Adada and Ivo dams in Enugu State, as well as the Amauzari and Inyishi dams in Imo and we will return to the committee for further action,” the minister said.

He added that the findings would form an action plan to solve challenges faced by dam construction in Nigeria and address challenges associated with flooding, water supply, irrigation and hydro electric power generation.

He mentioned the member ministries of the committee to include the ministries of Environment; Housing; Works; Budget and National Planning; Information and National Orientation Agency as well as Finance.

He said that to expedite activities of the committee, he inaugurated a technical sub – committee chaired by his Ministry’s Director of Dams and Reservoir Operations.

According to him, the sun-committee is comprised of technical offices from the member ministries; the Office of the National Security Adviser; Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation; the Nigeria Society of Engineers; the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and other technical experts.

“The overall mandate is to undertake detailed assessment of dams in Nigeria to determine their structural integrity and impact on downstream conditions as well as on the social and environmental conditions of riparian communities.

“The technical sub-committee also visited the Alau Dam in Borno from October 12 – 16, 2024 alongside the Committee on Assessment of Alau Dam constituted by the Borno state government,” he said.