Following the Maiduguri flooding, the African Blue Community Ecumenical Water Network Africa EWNA condemns neglect and fund mismanagement that aided the dam collapse. They say the state needs help as governments can’t manage the crisis alone. Here the press release by EWNA:
On September 9, 2024, Maiduguri was affected by a massive flood that has devastated various communities due to the collapse of Alau dam in the neighbouring Konduga LGA of Borno State, following heavy rains between August and September 2024.
The collapse exacerbated the flooding in Maiduguri, marking the first time the Alau Dam has overflowed massively since 2012. And currently, over 414,000 residents across Maiduguri and parts of Jere Local Council have been displaced while critical infrastructure, including bridges, hospitals, schools and markets have been damaged.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has stated that nearly half of Maiduguri was buried in disastrous flooding water that swept through over 23, 000 neighbourhoods, drowning the city under its force due to the Alau Dam collapse.
Alau Dam, situated in the Alau community of Konduga local government area of Borno State in the Northeast region of Nigeria, is a critical infrastructure constructed between 1984–1986 to regulate water flow and provide irrigation and drinking water in Maiduguri and environs. It impounds a major reservoir on the Ngadda River, one of the tributaries of the Lake Chad.
There had been pockets of flooding from the dam in times past though not on a major level as it is being currently experienced; in 1992, the dam reached its maximum shortage level and spilled over, causing flooding in Jere Bowl. In 1994, a flash flood from the Yedzeram River caused extensive flooding in Maiduguri and in 2012, torrential rainfall caused the Alau Dam to open its evacuation valve, releasing a massive amount of water that caused flooding in Maiduguri and surrounding areas. However, there has never been flooding of this magnitude that has not only displaced people and destroyed infrastructure but also killed more than 80% of animals in the Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo.
The Ecumenical Water Network Africa notes that these disruptions have hindered healthcare services and business activities and has further complicated the lives of the residents, noting that there is the danger of disease outbreaks especially with the information that sensitive materials were washed away from the cancer centre.
However, environmentalists have claimed that the Alau Dam collapse was inevitable as there were signs of this happening but authorities allegedly turned deaf ears to prior warnings of experts in and around the region.
It was said that there had been cracks in the dam’s walls and erosion had taken over the embankments, a result of years of abandonment that weakened its structure. Indeed, days before the flooding, residents living near the dam were asked to leave for fear of impending hazards that may result from the overflowing dam, though the government did not believe that the state was not under any flooding threats, claiming to have done some independent assessment of the dam.
However, investigations from external bodies allege negligence on the side of the state government and mismanagement of funds by officials of concerned ministries, reiterating that behind the neglect is a broader pattern of mismanagement that plagues infrastructure projects across Nigeria.
The Alau Dam, like other critical infrastructures, had funds dispensed for it’s maintenance and rehabilitation which was allegedly misappropriated, with little to no accountability leading to a systemic rot that is fast becoming a norm.
A public portal dedicated to tracking the federal government’s spending,
Govspend, in its report stated that more than ₦309 million (309,316,169.01) were disbursed for rehabilitating the Alau dam between 2018 and 2024, adding that the funds were released in 13 tranches by the Chad Basin River Development Authority (CBDA) to different companies.
“In 2020, one of the companies, Dalori Construction Nigeria Ltd, received ₦51.7 million in three months — ₦13.6 million in March, ₦12.3 million in April and ₦25.8 million in June while S.M Gudunbali Nigeria Ltd, another company, was paid ₦8 million in 2018 and N7.6 million the following year.
“Similarly, Balmari Investment Nigeria Ltd was paid ₦14.6 million in 2022 and ₦21.4 million a year before. On November 12, 2022, Auno Engineering and Construction Services Ltd, was paid ₦17 million for rehabilitation works on the dam. In June 2023, Kukabam General Merchant Niger Ltd was paid ₦23.4 million for the same purpose. On September 20, 2023, the agency disbursed more than ₦16.2 million to Federal Inland Revenue for “VAT in respect of Hammal and Partners Ltd for the final payment on Alau dam,” it said.
Ecumenical Water Network Africa called for a comprehensive investigation into allegations of neglect and mismanagement of funds that led to the tragedy as well as a comprehensive flood disaster assessment in collaboration with relevant development partners to get clear and reliable data to access real extent of damage and chart was to avoid future occurrence and help for victims.
