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Flood Control and Mitigation
One of the core mandates of the Commission is addressing ecological challenges in member states. Flooding and erosion are the most prevalent natural disasters bedeviling the socioeconomic development of the power producing communities. Hydroelectric dams often unconditionally overflow their banks during the rainy seasons, spanning from April to October, resulting in devastating floods. This recurring decimal has plunged the communities into pathetic conditions with inadequate infrastructure to safeguard the lives and property of the affected communities. Most states identified as frontline states are located on the routes of rivers Niger and Benue, thereby making them vulnerable to flooding.
As explained in a previous chapter, in 2012, devastating flooding forced over two million Nigerians out of their homes and left about 360 dead. Similarly, in 2015, records show that 53 people died and more than 100,000 people were displaced; also in 2016, 92,000 were displaced and 38 died; while in 2017, floods affected over 250,000 people in the North-central and Eastern regions.
The flood challenge repeated with severe afflictions to N – HYPPADEC Communities in 2022 where several houses, health care facilities, education institution, farmlands were destroyed, cutting off the Federal Highway linking Lokoja and Abuja at Koton karfe in Kogi State plunging the communities, road users plying the Southern and the Northern part of the country to suffer the consequences.
The Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa administration ensured the commencement of massive flood and erosion control projects in the most affected member states, despite the massive resource commitment for other projects. To begin with, the management swiftly swung into action, took charge of its common responsibility and award contract for the construction 650 metres Koton-Karfe flood and erosion control hydraulic drainage. This drainage with four 3 cells boxed culverts for communal access, is now a lifesaving intervention for the Igwu Koton-Karfe Kingdom and its environs and a succor to the irritable cut on the supply chain between the north and the south.
In his words of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume while commissioning the project mentioned thus:
“The 2022 floods, which ravaged various parts of the country, including Koton Karfe, resulted in untold human suffering and economic disruption. The repercussions of this disaster were felt far and wide, affecting not only the residents of this community but also disrupting vital routes that connect different regions of our country… In light of these pressing realities, the Federal Government through N-HYPPADEC took decisive action to address the root causes of flooding and mitigate its impact here in Kogi and other states where the Commission operates. The construction of the Koton Karfe Flood Control Project is a testament to Mr. President’s resolve to alleviate the sufferings of the people it is meant to serve”.
The SGF commended the commitment of the Commission for the prompt execution of the project and encouraged the Commission to replicate the same gesture in other flood-prone communities across the country and urged the host community to actively participate in the maintenance and upkeep of this infrastructure to remain vigilant and proactive in ensuring that the flood control measures remain effective and operational.
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, saw the project as a giant step which would ameliorate the plights of the people of Kogi State as the project would brought to an end the recurrent flooding during rainy seasons. The Governor acknowledged the Federal Government’s interventions in addressing ecological problems in Lokoja, Itobe, Idah, Omala, Bassa, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Okene, among others.
Residents of Makurdi and other parts of Benue especially settlers around the Idye Basin have endured annual flooding that has consumed thousands of homes and farmlands, displacing numerous families annually. In 2022, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency reported that the floods consumed about 18,349 houses and farmlands, displacing a total of 134,797 people.
Although successive governments at both federal and state levels have made frantic efforts to manage this crisis and mitigate its impact on the people and the environment, the Commission’s response in constructing a 1.2-kilometre hydraulic drainage system with additional excavation of 2.5 kilometres to pay way for a free flow of water in Nyiman community was germane in changing the narratives.
The project aimed at reversing environmental degradation and promoting sustainable community development in Nigeria’s Hydropower-producing areas, tamed the challenge of flood in Makurdi metropolis. Hundreds of residents no longer relocate to safer grounds for the fear of being submerged by flood during the rainy season. Thousands of hectres of farmlands have been reclaimed by farmers resulting into bumper harvest annually.
Senator Akume, who was represented by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev at the inauguration of the project said that the objective of the agency was in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of an industrialized and developed country where the nation’s hydropower-producing dams can generate adequate electricity without compromising the living standards of the local populations inhabiting the power-producing areas. According to him, the task of reversing environmental damages caused by floods and erosion over the years requires meticulous and long-term planning that should be executed in stages.
In Patigi, Kwara State, erosion had already taken toll on public utilities and institutions. Portions of Patigi General Hospital and the graveyard were threatened by the gully erosion as well as many residential buildings. A concrete drainage was constructed with additional culverts and stone-pitched embankments to contain the disaster.
Similar interventions were carried out in Yauri Kebbi State where mini bridges, retaining walls and embankment to protect a linear riverine settlement from flood on Yabo-Kala River.
Summarily, the hydraulic flood control structure project executed by the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission in Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara and Niger state were built to mitigate flood risks and protect communities in Yauri, Makurdi, Koton-Karfe, Patigi and Itobe. The overall objective of the above interventions is to address from the very essence, the challenges leading devastations from the menace of flood and erosion.
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