Residents along the banks of River Yedzaram in Maiduguri, are apprehensive as the river has overflown its banks. Also disturbing to the residents is the report that Alau Dam now filled to capacity will be opened to discharge the excess water into the river any moment.
Already some buildings and farmlands along the river had been submerged in Gwange Ward of Maiduguri, while a stream known as Ngaddabul that also passes through the town has also submerged some buildings and farmlands in Maduganari ward. “We are in distress and afraid that more rainfall or release of excess water from the dam can spell more doom for us.
“Already, some places like the customs area, College of Agriculture and 505 estates are experiencing serious flooding from the rivers,” Mustapha Ali, a resident of Gwange said.
Abubakar Ibrahim of Bulabulin ward, said some residents of the ward had started moving out of the area. “The flooding from the river is expanding in the Bulabulin area and people have started moving out,” Ibrahim said.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to Borno State Government, Alhaji Bukar Tijjani, on Thursday led a team to Alau Dam to assess the situation of the dam for necessary action. He assured residents of Maiduguri that the state government was working with the Chad Basin Development Authority, handlers of the dam, on safety measures. It would be recalled that the recent heavy downpour recorded across the state led to cases of serious flooding in Biu, Chibok, Konduga, Bama, Dikwa and Jere LGAs.
