Poorly managed dams endanger lives, experts warn

Experts have warned that the poor management of some dams and reservoirs poses a serious threat to the lives and property of people across the country.

According to the experts, the lack of maintenance of the dams has exposed Nigeria to perennial floods, while both the federal and state governments have allegedly been mismanaging funds meant for the maintenance of such facilities.

Nigeria currently has over 340 dams spread across the country, most of which are in the northern part of the country for irrigation and water supply.

However, the dams have not been properly maintained, leading to floods in some of the northern states.

Borno State was severely flooded on September 17 following the collapse of the Alau Dam, which resulted in the death and displacement of people in Maiduguri, the state capital.

Saturday PUNCH noted that about 400,000 persons in Maiduguri were displaced by flooding when the same Alau Dam collapsed on September 13, 1994.

A Professor of Applied and Environmental Geochemistry, Akinade Olatunji, warned that a poorly managed dam was a disaster waiting to happen, calling on the Nigerian government and citizens to improve the management of dams and other public utilities.

Olatunji, who is the President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, stated that the government had not been managing the dams well, emphasising that dams require regular monitoring and maintenance.

He said, “Dams are infrastructure that requires regular monitoring and maintenance. But generally, publicly owned utilities are poorly managed in Nigeria. So, the poor management is not only with the dams.

“The impacts of poorly managed dams on the environment are multifaceted. The obvious one is the collapse of such dams and the flooding of downstream areas. This could be catastrophic, as human fatalities in such instances are usually heavy.

“In areas where there are no human settlements, it could devastate the entire downstream ecosystem. So, a poorly managed dam is a disaster waiting to happen,” he added.

In his paper titled ‘Nigeria floods: Government’s mismanagement of dams is a major cause’, a Professor of Geomorphology, Olayinka Ogunkoya, stated that dams were not properly managed in the country.

Ogunkoya, from the Department of Geography at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said the state and federal governments could make better use of their dams by ensuring that the dam structure, reservoir, and related equipment and canals were maintained properly.

He lamented, “Most plants and equipment have broken down or are functioning below installed capacity. This is because dam management doesn’t adhere to operation manuals. Many dams in southwestern Nigeria have been so neglected that trees are growing on their faces.”

An environmental lawyer, Daniel Makolo, said government had abandoned the dams, noting that some northern states could have been saved from flooding if the dams were maintained properly.

According to Makolo, a dam is like a car or human body that needs to be maintained regularly.

He stated that both dams and water had a lifespan, saying that if they were not maintained, it would result in flooding.

He said, “The government has not been maintaining our dams, and that has continuously exposed us to the risk of flooding.

“A dam cannot just go bad overnight; it gives a warning, just like your body and car do. But instead of correcting the area that needs attention, they choose to use that opportunity to amass wealth for themselves. They siphon the money meant for that purpose. They know what is wrong with the dams, but then the mismanagement goes on.

“If environmental impact assessments had been conducted on the dams, and the consequences of any breakdown had always been assessed and reassessed, and confirmed, and our quality control had been maintained,