The Director of Dams and Reservoirs Operations in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Ali Dala, has called for the construction of more dams to mitigate flood risks.
Dala made the call when he led a team of the Inter-ministerial Technical Committee on Evaluation of Dams in Nigeria to the Oyan Dam in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
Dala said the visit to various dams across the country is to assess their conditions and evaluate their safety status for potential flood control.
While observing that many dams in Nigeria are aging and require maintenance and upgrades, Dala stressed the need for increased investment in dam construction and maintenance.
He also called for regular dredging of rivers to remove debris and improve their capacity to handle excess water.
“I have said it, and even the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation has mentioned it a number of times that, for us to control floods adequately in Nigeria, we need more dams.
“Nigeria currently lacks the necessary number of dams to effectively control flooding.
“Sediment builds up in reservoirs can reduce their storage capacity, hindering their ability to control floods.
“By increasing the number of dams and improving their maintenance, we can significantly reduce the impact of floods in Nigeria.
“A country like the US has at the moment 92,000 dams, China has about 98,000 dams while in Nigeria we have only 408 registered dams.
“So, I believe that by the time we also improve on the number of dams in the country, flooding would be a thing of the past or will be drastically reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.
The team’s evaluation is expected to provide valuable insights into the current state of Nigeria’s dam infrastructure as well as help in informing future policy decisions related to flood control and water resource management.
By Yetunde Fatungase
