Flood: Collapse of Lake Nyos walls imminent

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday warned of the possibility of the collapse of the walls of Lake Nyos in Western Cameroon with devastating consequences on Nigeria. Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammed Sani-Sidi, gave the warning yesterday at the signing ceremony of the Lake Nyos disaster response manual by stakeholders organised by NEMA in Abuja.

According to him, the disaster response meeting was conveyed in anticipation of the possible collapse of Lake Nyos walls. 

The lake, located in Western Cameroon, adjacent to Nigeria, covers an area of about 1.5 square kilometres and is over 200 meters deep. 

Its volume of water is about 132 million cubic meters.

The Director-General, who was represented by Director, Administration, Dr. Zanna Muhammad, said: "The wall of the dam may fail as a result of gradual erosion from the rain , wind and lake waters or as a result of violent volcanic eruption, earthquake or tremor.  

"Continuing erosion of the wall in Lake Nyos has put the dam at a point of potential collapse as predicted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report of 2005". 
The report said there may be a possible breakdown of the dam within 10 years. 

The eventual failure of the dam will result in the discharge of about 55 million cubic meters of water which will result in flooding.

It is estimated that between Cameroon border and River Benue , 50 settlements including Katsina-Ala, Kashimbilla, waya, Manga, Gamovo, Andie, Terwegh and over 15,000 hectares of land will be flooded.  

"Also, over one million people and 20,000 herds of cattle and livestock will be caught within the flood part and could perish. The financial losses are estimated to be in billions of naira, compromising of crops, residential and commercial structures, utilities and infrastructures including roads and bridges and other services."   

In a paper presentation entitled 'overview of Lake Nyos disaster response manual' by Assistant Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting, Mr. Benjamen Oghena, he said the collapse of the dam would result in the release of water at an estimated peak discharge of 17,000 cubic metres per second into Kumbi River, discharging into Katsina-Ala River in Nigeria.  

About 50 million cubic metres of water would flow downhill, flooding North-West Province of Cameroun, frontline states in Nigeria - Taraba, Benue, Kogi, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River,  Anambra and other Niger Delta states. 

He recalled that in 1986, the area around the lake was evacuated after a similar episode but people have started to move back to take advantage of the good grazing land.  

He said the volcanic rock forming the natural dam which holds water in the lake is weak. 
“This is expected to eventually lead to the failure of the dam and if the dam should fail, the upper 40 metres of water would spill out, leading to an immediate eruption and a major flood extending all the way into Nigeria”.

Meanwhile, the number of Kwarans rendered homeless by ravaging flood from Rivers Niger and Kaduna increased yesterday as communities in Patigi Local Government were affected along with their counterparts in Edu Council.

According to government officials who have gone to monitor the development, some 70 communities have been displaced in Patigi while about 10 communities suffered the same fate in Edu where the flood has rendered about 5,000 people homeless.

In both local government areas, the flooding witnessed the submerging of houses, farm lands and property worth several millions of naira which the chairman of Patigi Local Government, Alhaji Taoheed Makun Lata, described as a great disaster that has wreaked havoc on his people.

Lata said: “The flood, which my council saw as a natural phenomenon, calls for a sober reflection. It is a great calamity and loss to the nation. Many communities at least, almost 75 of them were submerged by water, and their residential buildings, worshiping centers and schools were pulled down by the flood. In fact, it definitely affects the lives of our people.”

According to eyewitnesses from Edu, about 5,000 inhabitants of the communities spread across Bele, Emi, Faigi, Tswatako, Patako, Tada, Shonga, Edogi Dukun, and Yemagi have been forced to abandon their homes due to the development. 

One of the victims, Mallam Mohammed Mata, said that they are left with nothing and  appealed to government to come to their aid.

Special Adviser on Emergency and Relief Services to the state governor, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, during an assessment tour of the flooded areas in Edu, assured the people of the council of government's support to cushion the effect of the devastating flood.  

He conveyed the sympathy of Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed to the victims.

In Delta State, hundreds of displaced victims of flood disaster that submerged the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) office in Asaba, the state capital, and its adjoining business centres and houses, are now seeking asylum on the River Niger Bridge.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan who spoke on the devastation in some parts of the state yesterday during an unscheduled visit to the victims lamented the heavy damage on lives and properties.

Although, the governor immediately provided a refugee centre and relief materials to the victims, he, however, lamented: “Our state has been tales of woe. Lives have been lost. Properties and farmlands have been submerged. Roads and bridges washed away. The situation has been desperate for our people.”

While he acknowledged that people have been rendered homeless, saying, “many climbed trees to survive even as others adopted different strategies to stay alive”, he said the state had sent naval officers to mount a rescue operation.