Mitigating ecological disasters amid climate change

The collapse of the Alau dam, located in the Alau community of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State, along with the devastation recorded in the aftermath is another painful reminder of how close the country is to disasters, and why the authorities and Nigerians must imbibe the culture of regular maintenance and pay attention to climatic changes in the environment. 
  
More than 30 persons were reported dead, 58 injured and hundreds displaced, with hundreds of acres of farmland and homes washed away. In addition, more than 80 per cent of animals kept at the Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo either escaped or were killed. Also, 281 inmates of Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre were confirmed by the spokesperson of the NCoS, Abubakar Umar, to have escaped, as the flood swept away the wall. The Prison’s staff quarter was not spared. The damage is indeed massive.
   
However, experiences have shown that disasters that plague the country perennially, particularly flooding, can be mitigated if governments and agencies tasked with the management and maintenance of State assets live up to expectations. Also, the timely release of accurate forecasts and containment measures as well as early preparation for rescue and evacuation are of utmost importance. 
   
From emerging facts, the Alau dam disaster could have been prevented if early warnings had been heeded and acted upon swiftly. It is reported that there were visible signs of weaknesses in the structure of the dam. One of the dam’s gates controlling the outflow of water from Lake Alua was said to have been destroyed since October 2022. Officials were repeatedly warned that the dam needed repairs to avert an imminent overflow and crash, but they were ignored. 
 
The damn, built in 1986 during the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida is reported to have previously collapsed in September 1994. That experience should have compelled the managers to pay closer attention. They didn’t, despite the reported allocation of resources to the tune of N309 million for routine maintenance and rehabilitation between 2018 and 2024. Govspend, a public portal for tracking the Federal Government’s spending, showed the funds were released by the Chad Basin River Development Authority (CBDA), to no less than six different contractors in 13 tranches. Even the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) earned millions from Value Added Tax (VAT), evidence that contractors received payments to rehabilitate and repair the dam.
  
In a country where bad governance and negligence are not punished, the minister of Water Resources, Joseph Utsev, was quick to blame ubiquitous Climate Change for a disaster that portrays elements of negligence on the part of those responsible for the dam’s maintenance.   
 
According to the minister, “the dam did not collapse but struggled to handle the excess water from nearby tributaries causing overflow into surrounding areas.” He added that “government officials confirmed that climate change has intensified rainfall leading to excess water that many dams are struggling to manage, and as temperatures rise, we expect increased rainfall, leading to higher water volumes in our rivers and channels.” This is a familiar public service alibi. But the government should not allow this to pass. Let there be a detailed investigation of the remote and immediate causes of the collapsed dam. Every public disaster that occurs henceforth should be thoroughly investigated to avoid recurrence. 
   
It is worrisome that in 2024 alone, severe flooding has been reported in more than 20 states, leading to displacements of 641,598 persons, 285 deaths and 2,504 injuries, according to OCHA, a humanitarian source. Between July and September 2024, 29 states were reported to have experienced relentless rainfall. 
 
With timely and adequate management of water assets across the country, the adverse impact of flooding would be minimised. Reports put the number of dams in the country at 323. They were built over time to provide potable water for citizens, generate electricity and provide opportunities for irrigation farming.

However, many of the dams are poorly maintained or have been abandoned outright due to poor or zero funding.  Apart from the perennial flooding disaster, millions of Nigerians have zero access to safe water. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that 70 per cent of Nigerians have access to basic drinking water supply, a good chunk of which is sourced privately.
   
The Nigerian Association of Hydrologists (NAH) warned in 2020 of an impending water crisis and attendant exposure to water-borne diseases, including cholera. In August, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported a total of 5,951 suspected cases of cholera, with 176 deaths, an increase of 108 per cent over that of 2023. Many states do not provide citizens with safe water, the reason many dams are abandoned. State governments must revive dams in their jurisdictions and put them to maximum use. 
   
As authorities in Cameroon have announced the release of water from the Lagdo dam, more sensitisation efforts of government agencies are imperative. However, government should go beyond late warnings to creating buffer flood collection troughs along flood plains to mitigate impact. Besides, the government must ensure that funds earmarked for water resources are released early and that there is close monitoring of rehabilitation works. 
   
Despite the steady disbursement of ecological funds to states, it is a shame that the impact of the fund is not felt; and this suggests defective utilisation or deployment of the funds. The NBS revealed recently that the 36 states received N39.62 billion as their share of the fund for the first half of 2024. In addition, the Federal Government has announced N3 billion grant to states to tackle all forms of natural disasters, including flooding. The funds must be disbursed on time, beyond announcements and the monitoring of projects by stakeholders, including the media and civil societies.
   
There should be penalties for agencies and government officials that are found culpable in the mismanagement of ecological funds and by so doing, aiding disasters and avoidable deaths.