The federal government has dismissed reports that water was being released from Cameroon’sLagdo Dam and was causing flooding in parts of the Benue River Basin, including Taraba and Benue states.

According to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA), available reservoir operation data showed that the Lagdo Dam authorities were currently impounding water rather than releasing it downstream into Nigeria.

However, several passengers and vehicles have been reported stranded along the Limankara-Gwoza Road in Gwoza Local Council Area of Borno State after a heavy downpour washed away a bridge along the route.

Among the affected passengers, said to have been stranded for two days while travelling to Mubi in Adamawa State, Daniel Adamu and Abubakar Audu told Channels Television that the situation had left hundreds of travellers without food or access to essential supplies, with the alternative route through Damaturu-Gombe about 500 kilometres.

They said the heavy rainfall had worsened an already difficult journey along a road they described as insecure. According to the travellers, the construction of the bridge had previously been awarded but was not completed.

Nevertheless, NiHSA said in a statement yesterday that the water level at the Lagdo Reservoir stood at 209.82 metres, against its maximum operating level of 216 metres, leaving 6.18 metres of additional capacity for water storage.

It explained that what was currently being experienced in several parts of the country was largely flash flooding caused by intense and prolonged rainfall, with poor drainage systems, indiscriminate disposal of waste and unauthorised urban development worsening the situation.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiHSA, Umar Mohammed, also stated that water levels at Nigeria’s major inland dams, Kainji and Jebba, remained within normal operating conditions.

According to the agency, Kainji Dam currently has a reservoir level of 130.38 metres, compared with its maximum operating level of 141.83 metres, while the water level at Jebba Reservoir stands at 100.03 metres.

NiHSA said both dams were experiencing relatively low inflows compared with their long-term averages, insisting that the current situation did not warrant public alarm.

It assured Nigerians that any release of water from Lagdo Dam capable of affecting downstream communities in the country would follow established dam-management procedures and would be communicated through appropriate official channels.