Abeokuta: 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 on Saturday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dala stated that the visit to various dams across the country is intended to assess their conditions and evaluate their safety status for potential flood control. He noted that many dams in Nigeria are aging and require maintenance and upgrades, emphasizing the need for increased investment in dam construction and maintenance. Dala also advocated for the regular dredging of rivers to remove debris and improve their capacity to handle excess water.
Dala highlighted that Nigeria currently lacks the necessary number of dams to effectively control flooding. He pointed out that sediment build-up in reservoirs can reduce their storage capacity,
hindering their ability to control floods. He stated, “By increasing the number of dams and improving their maintenance, we can significantly reduce the impact of floods in Nigeria.”
He compared Nigeria’s situation with countries like the United States and China, which have 92,000 and 98,000 dams respectively, while Nigeria has only 408 registered dams. Dala expressed his belief that increasing the number of dams in the country would make flooding a thing of the past or drastically reduce it to the barest minimum.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the team’s evaluation is expected to provide valuable insights into the current state of Nigeria’s dam infrastructure and help inform future policy decisions related to flood control and water resource management.