The Nation Newspaper

Tag: River Niger

  • River Niger drying up, warns Fed Govt

    River Niger drying up, warns Fed Govt

    The Federal Government has raised the alarm that River Niger is drying up.

    To save the river from the fate that befell Lake Chad, the Federal Government, with others bordering the River Niger, have approved an environmental audit of the river.

    Addressing reporters at the end of the Sixth Annual Meeting of African Organisation Supreme Audit Institutions Working Group on Environmental Audit (AFROSAI WGEA) in Abuja, yesterday, Acting Auditor of the Federation (AuGF) Mrs Florence Anyanwu confirmed River Niger was drying up.

    She noted that countries bordering the river have approved the environmental audit, and that this will begin at the end of the Abuja meeting.

    According Anyanwu, “talks are ongoing on the cooperative environmental audit project on River Niger by Niger Basin Authority, consisting of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’ Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.”

    She lamented that a dry ing River Niger posed social, environmental and economic threat to communities bordering the river.

    When completed, government can then save the river from further deterioration, and ensure its continued benefit to bordering communities.

    With regards to Lake Chad that significantly lost a large portion of its body of water, the chair of the AFROSAI WGEA, Mrs Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam said the audit report of the Lake Chad had been sent to governments of the four countries to come up with laws to save the river from total evaporation.

    Lake Chad is a shallow lake that ordinarily should be fed with constant rain, but the lake suffer from sustained drop in the volume of rainfall, and a growing population depending on it for water, fishing and agriculture.

    Fomundam noted that “despite the signing of multilateral agreements  on the environment and established institutions, scientific studies showed that many of the planet’s ecosystems have deteriorated over the last 20 years.”

    She added that “citizens have increasingly expected that organisations hurting the environment be held accountable for their actions, with many citizens feeling that government declarations concerning the environment and sustainable development should be subject to independent audits to assess the extent to which they are implemented.”

    In her address, Minister of Environment Mrs Amina Mohammed said “environmental auditing is an essential component of sustainable environmental management, as it provides the mechanism for allowing government to know what has gone wrong over time, and highlights the need for urgent policy action.”

    She added that “our environment is our sustenance, and unless we care for it, our lives will be at risk. Unless we have a clear knowledge of what is happening to our environment, we may not be able to make appropriate policies for sustainable environmental management.”

  • River Niger is drying up, FG warns

    River Niger is drying up, FG warns

    The federal government has raised the alarm that the River Niger is drying up.

    To save the river from the fate that befell Lake Chad, the federal government along with countries bordering the River Niger have approved the environmental audit of the river.

    Addressing journalists at the end of the 6th Annual Meeting of African Organization do Supreme Audit Institutions Working Group on Environmental Audit (AFROSAI WGEA) in Abuja Tuesday  on the development, the Acting Auditor of the Federation (AuGF) Mrs Florence Anyanwu confirmed that that River Niger was drying up.

    She noted that countries bordering the river have approved the environmental audit of the river and that commencement of the audit of none of the longest rivers in Africa will begin at the end of the meeting in Abuja.

    According Anyanwu, “talks are ongoing on the cooperative environmental audit project on River Niger by Niger Basin Authority consisting of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’ Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.”

    She lamented that the drying up of the River Niger posed social, environmental and economic treat to the communities bordering the river.

    When completed, the environmental audit of River Niger will afford the governments the information they need to save the river from further deterioration as well as ensure its continued benefit to bordering communities.

    With regards to Lake Chad that has significantly lost a large portion of it body of water, the chair of the AFROSAI WGEA, Mrs Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam said the environmental audit report of the Lake Chad has been sent to the governments of the four countries surrounding the lake to
    come up with laws to save the river from total evaporation.

    Lake Chad is a shallow lake that ordinarily should be fed with constant rain but, environmental challenges have seen the lake suffer from sustained drop in the volume of rain fall feeding the lake and a growing population that depends on the lake for water, fishing and agriculture.

    Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam noted that “despite the signing of multilateral agreements on the environment and established institutions, current scientific studies reveal that many of the planet’s ecosystems have rapidly deteriorated over the last 20 years.”

    She added that “citizens have increasingly expected that organizations that hurt the environment be held accountable for their actions, with many citizens feeling that government declarations concerning the environment and sustainable development should be subject to independent
    audits to assess the extent to which they are implemented.”

    In her address the minister of environment Mrs. Amina Mohammed said “environmental auditing is an essential component of sustainable environmental management as it provides the mechanism for allowing government to know what has gone wrong over time and highlights the need for urgent policy action.”

    She added that “our environment is our sustenance and unless we care for our environment, our lives will be at risk. Unless we have a clear knowledge of what is happening to our environment, we may not be able to make appropriate policies for sustainable environmental management.”

  • River Niger drying up, warns Federal Govt

    The Federal Government has raised the alarm that the River Niger is drying up.

     

    To save the river from the fate that befell Lake Chad, the Federal Government along with countries bordering the River Niger has approved the environmental audit of the river.

     

    Addressing journalists at the end of the 6th Annual Meeting of African Organization do Supreme Audit Institutions Working Group on Environmental Audit (AFROSAI WGEA) in Abuja on Tuesday on the development, the Acting Auditor of the Federation (AuGF) Mrs Florence Anyanwu confirmed that that River Niger was drying up.

     

    She noted that countries bordering the river have approved the environmental audit of the river and that commencement of the audit of one of the longest rivers in Africa will begin at the end of the meeting in Abuja.

     

    According to Anyanwu, “talks are ongoing on the cooperative environmental audit project on River Niger by Niger Basin Authority consisting of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’ Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.”

     

    She lamented that the drying up of the River Niger posed social, environmental and economic treat to the communities bordering the river.

     

    When completed, the environmental audit of River Niger will afford the governments the information they need to save the river from further deterioration as well as ensure its continued benefit to bordering communities.

     

    With regards to Lake Chad that has significantly lost a large portion of it body of water, the chair of the AFROSAI WGEA, Mrs Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam said the environmental audit report of the Lake Chad has been sent to the governments of the four countries surrounding the lake to come up with laws to save the river from total evaporation.

     

    Lake Chad is a shallow lake that ordinarily should be fed with constant rain but environmental challenges have seen the lake suffer from sustained drop in the volume of rain fall feeding the lake and a growing population that depends on the lake for water, fishing and agriculture.

     

    Fomundam noted that “despite the signing of multilateral agreements on the environment and established institutions, current scientific studies reveal that many of the planet’s ecosystems have rapidly deteriorated over the last 20 years.”

     

    She added that “citizens have increasingly expected that organizations that hurt the environment be held accountable for their actions, with many citizens feeling that government declarations concerning the environment and sustainable development should be subject to independent audits to assess the extent to which they are implemented.”

     

    In her address the minister of environment Mrs Amina Mohammed said “environmental auditing is an essential component of sustainable environmental management as it provides the mechanism for allowing government to know what has gone wrong over time and highlights the need for urgent policy action.”

     

    She added that “our environment is our sustenance and unless we care for our environment, our lives will be at risk. Unless we have a clear knowledge of what is happening to our environment, we may not be able to make appropriate policies for sustainable environmental management

     

  • Flood looms as River Niger, Benue, Kainji Dam overflow

    Flood looms as River Niger, Benue, Kainji Dam overflow

    The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has warned of an imminent flood following the overflow of various banks of River Niger, River Benue, Kainji Dam and the Confluence of water bodies in Lokoja.

    The water bodies, NIHSA said, overflowed their banks on Monday, August 8, 2016

    The Director-General of the agency, Moses Beckley, in a statement issued Abuja said various agencies were currently struggling to impound the floods, which in a matter of days shall be felt in many more locations across the country.

    NIHSA warned that the flooding situations at the upper reach of the River Niger portended imminent danger for Nigeria in the coming weeks and months.

    According to the statement, the agency is responsible for monitoring all the major rivers in Nigeria including the Transboundary Rivers Niger and Benue respectively.

    Beckley said information from the regional Niger Basin Authority with headquarters in Niamey, Niger Republic, warns of imminent flooding incident in Nigeria of the magnitude comparable to that of 2012 flood.

    The NBA is a regional body of nine member-countries in the West and Central Africa, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Tchad.

    At a global level, this regional cooperation body monitors the river flows and socio-economic developments within the river systems in these countries, and shares information/data among member countries.

    According to NIHSA, it was on this basis that the secretariat of the NBA notified Nigeria that rainy season which started in the Middle Niger (Burkina Faso and Niger Republic) in June, 2016, had led to a gradual rise of the level of River Niger in Niamey, Niger Republic.

    The statement said: “This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariably, to Nigeria. As at 2nd August, 2016, the Yellow Warning Line of 5.30m corresponding to 1,700m3/s flow rate has been reached and exceeded in Niamey, Niger Republic.

    “According to the information, if the heavy rainfall continues in intensity and duration within these regions of the River Niger, it is imminent that flood situation similar to that of year 2012 may occur. It takes approximately nine days for the propagation of peak floods from Niamey to Nigeria (Jidere Bode, Kebbi State).

    “The above observation transmitted to Nigeria is in tandem with the records from our monitoring stations at critical locations on Rivers Niger and Benue, as well as their tributaries within the Nigerian portion of the Niger Basin. The water levels are rising gradually at most of our stations.”

    “Specifically, the water level at Jidere Bode (Kebbi State), our first monitoring station as River Niger enters Nigeria, is 3.77m high as at 8th August, 2016, which has exceeded the 3.32m value observed on 8th August, 2012. Also on the same day, the level of water at the Kainji reservoir is 132.62m, which is higher than the value recorded about this time in 2012.

    “Presently impoundment of water for hydropower generation is taking place at the dam. It is expected that inflows from upstream of the River Niger would be accommodated by Kainji Dam before it starts spilling to Jebba Dam once the level gets to 141.73m. At our monitoring station in Wuro-Boki, Adamawa State, the first monitoring station as River Benue enters Nigeria, the water level has risen to 5.36m as at 8th August, 2016, as against 4.88m recorded on 8th August, 2012.”

    NIHSA noted that although there was presently no water releases from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, the heavy rainfall being witnessed within the catchment of River Benue had caused the water level to be on the increase.

    It stated that as at August 8, 2016, its monitoring station at Makurdi recorded an alarming 9.20m height in water level, as against 9.17m recorded on August 8, 2012.

    “Based on this, we wish to alert the general public that the Middle Niger (Niger Republic & Burkina Faso, upstream of Nigeria) is already flooded after the magnitude of the flood experienced in that region in 2012. This situation portends danger for Nigeria where there are many active tributaries to River Niger that contributes quite heavily to flooding incidents.

    “At the Confluence in Lokoja, the water level as at 8th August, 2016, is 7.74m, which has exceeded the 7.72m recorded value on 8th August, 2012. This value is sending a strong signal to dwellers within the flood plains to relocate immediately to safer and higher grounds.

    “Downstream of Lokoja at Onitsha, the water level has risen to an alarming height of 9.16m. This value is expected to increase with time. Therefore, residents along the Habour Bridge Head and industrial activities within the Habour Industrial Layout, Onitsha, should be on the lookout.”

     

  • River Niger will soon overflow, NEMA warns river bank communities

    River Niger will soon overflow, NEMA warns river bank communities

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has a warning for settlements and communities along the bank of River Niger: leave now to save lives and properties in the face of rapidly rising water level.

    Its Director General, Muhammad Sani Sidi, said yesterday that the chances of flooding occurring along the river bank are high in view of intense rainfall and rise in water level.

    NEMA, according to him, has received alerts of the flood from the Republic of Niger that the present water level in the river had reached a point that may result in the flood that could be compared with the experience of 2012.

    ”Niger Basin Authority (NBA) notified Nigeria that rainy season, which started in the Middle Niger (Burkina Faso and Niger Republic) in June 2016, has led to a gradual rise of the level of River Niger in Niamey, Niger Republic.

    “This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariably, to Nigeria,” he said.

    He said the level of water in all the hydrological monitoring stations across the country as at Friday August, 2016, had already exceeded the corresponding values at that time, which was an alarming situation that required the prompt and coordinated action of all governments and stakeholders.

    “If the heavy rainfall continues in intensity and duration within these regions of the River Niger, it is imminent that flood situation similar to that of the year 2012 may occur,” he added.

    The NEMA DG then called on all stakeholders to take necessary actions in line with their various mandates.

    He added: “The states and local government are to ensure observance with the threat to avert imminent loss of lives and properties that might certainly arise in the event of flood.”

    Sidi identified the states along the river Niger belts as being the most vulnerable as well as those along its major tributaries that includes Benue river belts, the confluence states and downstream to the Atlantic Coast.

  • River Niger may overflow its bank, experts warn

    * Say West Africa should expect heavy rainfall

    There is possibility of the River Niger, one of the longest in Africa, overflowing its banks this year on account of heavy rainfall, meteorologists and hydrologists have warned .

    The experts say Seasonal Rainfall Predictions (SRP) indicate average to excess flow of the river.

    The experts, in a communiqué at the end of a workshop organised by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) in Abuja, said: “Average to excess flows are expected in the upper and middle part of the Niger River basin, while in the lower parts of the basin, especially the Nigerian section, there are probabilities of excess flows are expected.”

    Other rivers expected to over flow their banks are: Senegal, Volta, Gambia, Comoé and Ouémé as well as Lake Chad Basin.

    The major implication of the prediction, according to them, is the effect on agriculture.

    They said the coming heavy rains are capable of causing flooding and loss of cultivated areas.

    They also said the conditions will favour the breeding of pests, including weeds, grasshoppers and other pests for which monitoring and prevention measures should be strengthened.