A renowned Environmentalist, Mr Odigha Odigha, says the excess water released from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon can be used to solve Nigeria’s dry season farming challenge.
Odigha stated this in an interview in Calabar on Wednesday while reacting to flood prediction arising from water release from the dam.
Only recently, the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) announced that the Lagdo Dam Management has urged it to plan towards controlled water release at the rate of 8,640,000 cubic metres per day.
Odigha, also the Founder, of the Coalition for Environment, noted that the release of water from Lagdo Dam should not always be an emergency to Nigeria because it has areas that suffer drought.
He said that by now, the country ought to have developed a sustainable utilisation plan of the excess water from the dam whenever it was released.
“The release of water from this dam is a regular thing, it is worrisome that we are hardly prepared, however, we should rise up to mitigate the looming emergency,” he said.
The environment expert urged governments at all levels to take proactive measures towards reducing the impact of the predicted flood from the release of water from Lagdo Dam.
“Those who live in areas considered to be vulnerable should move to more secure locations, they may not have to wait for the government before moving.
“The situation calls for a concerted effort from all Nigerians to prevent the kind of loses that were experienced in Borno when a dam collapsed.
“This is not the time to wait for relief materials, we should take deliberate steps to stay safe,” he said.”
