AS forecasted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), September 4, massive thunderstorms struck Maiduguri on Thursday 5th, pummeling Alau dam and bursting its banks. The following day,Friday 6th, as predicted by NIMET, unrelenting squall hit the area again in the morning hours, rolling over into the afternoon and evening hours.
That was the beginning of the predicament that became uncontrollable by Monday night as the flood poured in torrents into Maiduguri metropolis ravaging substantial areas of the city and overwhelming it by Tuesday morning.
There was reprieve in the city on Saturday 7th, as the rainstorms shifted, as expected to parts of Sokoto, Taraba, Kebbi and Katsina states in the morning period. Later in the day, the thunderstorms was witnessed over parts of Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Adamawa, Bauchi, Zamfara and Taraba states; while the North Central region, experienced rains over parts of Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa and Plateau states during the afternoon/evening hours.
Informed by the likely turn out of the weather, NIMET outlook, which was valid till September 7, offered the following advisory:
i. High likelihood of urban flooding in major cities due to heavy downpours. Residents are advised to avoid flood-prone areas
ii. Strong winds may precede the rains in areas where thunderstorms are likely to occur, public should take adequate precaution.
iii. Adhere to safety advisories issued by relevant authorities.
iv. Public and Airline operators are advised to get updated weather reports and forecast from NiMet for effective planning in their operations.
v. Residents are advised to stay informed through weather updates from NiMet.
But the deed was done. Alou was beyond salvage even as the Borno state SSG, Mallam Bukar Tijjani, turned spiritual about the incident, which he described as God’s will, as one that will usher in blessings instead of disaster. He admonished people of Maiduguri to remain calm and prayerful.
But the rain, on its own divine course, pushed to limits by human neglect of proper planning, hit Maiduguri metropolis from its source, about 14.5 kilometers from its Magumeri outlet, in the cover of the night. It kept many awake. By day break, Milionaires quarters around Gamboru ward and its environs have been submerged.
The popular Lagos bridge was not left out. It was filled to the brim. Ditto for the Moduganari by-pass bridge and the zoo road from where the flood gushed into College of Health Technology, forcing students to relocate to the School of Nursing. The flood snaked towards the Commissioner of Police junction via Damboa Road.
At Shehu Sanda Kyarimi park, the popular Maiduguri Zoo, the staff on duty fled as the rain poured in at wee hours of the night, leaving hitherto caged yet dangerous animals to a precarious fate. Later in the day, the General Manager of the park, Hon. Ali Abatcha Don Best, issued a press release detailing what happened to the zoo and its animals.
He availed that “the flood disaster,” has affected more than 80% of the animals… and “disrupted and caused damage to properties. According to him, the devastating flood has washed some deadly animals, such as crocodiles and snakes, into some communities, thus calling on the “public to be aware and take all the necessary precautions measures to avoid these animals.”
Areas also shell shocked by the flood were the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Gidan Dambe, Kwanan Yobe, Dikitrichi, and GRA. The popular Monday market was also overflowed. The Emir’s palace at Shehuri and areas behind it, including Hausari, were not left out.
As a matter of fact, after hours spent by the men of the fire brigade draining the dreadful pool at the vast frontage and some corridors of the Shehu’s palace, Vice President Kashim Shettima, wearing a t-shirt and pair of trouser, had to wade through the more than knee length ‘river’, with the protective guide of his security guards, to reach the inner recess of the building where he met and commiserated with the Borno monarch.
In far away Gwange, which also house a vast acreage of public cemetery, the flood wreaked havoc. And, further away, at the vicinity of the Customs Office, a prison wall was broken by flood, facilitating the drowning of many inmates and enabling several others to escape for their lives.
Among the 200 inmates said to have fled were some Boko Haram commanders held at the Maiduguri New Prison.
Historically, Alau dam first overflowed its banks due to heavy rainfall on September 12-13, 1994. About 400,000 people were displaced and rendered homelessness. 180,000 of this number needed accommodation back then, just as houses, roads, communication facilities, contamination of water, damage of livestock and farmlands were recorded.
Why did the 40 year-old Alau Dam collapsed three times in 1992, 1994 and 2012? Many are likely to attribute the catastrophes to climate change. But this is scientifically impossible. What then happened?
The truth is that, inundated by structural damage due to high seasonal rainfall, the dam, constructed to shield Maiduguri from seasonal flooding along the Ngadda river basin, a seasonal river in Nigeria, gave way because it never received the required maintenance to put it back into ideal operational shape by successive governments in the state.
Assessing how urbanization altered the Ngadda River and affected the Alou dam, Mala, Alhaji and Maina (2021) noted that, “The greater volume of storm runoff, higher peak flows, and more rapidly rising flows associated with urbanization have been recognized for many decades (eg Leopold 1968), largely because they can result in flooding of properties.”
They submitted that “the increased ‘flashiness’ of flows in urban catchments means that the frequency of flood events over a particular size increases as more water is conveyed directly to the stream channel.
Obroh and Sambo (2022) also investigated flood vulnerability along River Ngadda and identified the shores, plains and banks of the river as being at risk. As a result, the researchers recommended that areas where there no sufficient drainages shouldn’t be inhabited, flood plains regulations should be put in place, tree planting and afforestation should be encouraged, adoption of land use planning or recharacterization of the vulnerable areas; and further research for wider coverage of the Ngadda river.
It may be that these critical research findings and NIMET’s forecasts five days before the recent massive flooding may not have been factored into policy decisions that could have saved thousands of people who are now in pandemonium and despair. The situation is so dare that it is worse than the one of 30 years ago. Tragically, history has repeated itself, casting a dark shadow on the lives of many Maiduguri residents.
– Bello resides in Abuja.