DUTSE, Nigeria, Sept 25, 2010 (AFP) - Opened dams have displaced some two million people in northern Nigeria, adding to flood misery that has already washed away entire villages in the region, officials said Saturday. The flooding in Jigawa state following the opening of the dams last month has wiped out huge areas of farmland and sent residents seeking shelter in schools, according to the Red Cross and local government. Two people were killed in the initial stages of the flooding in Jigawa state, a Red Cross official said. In Sokoto state in the country's northwestern corner, local chiefs told workers from aid organisations that around 40 people were killed when a dam burst, but the number could not be confirmed.
Heavy seasonal rain has caused the flooding and forced the opening of the gates in the north of Africa's most populous nation. "We have estimated that close to two million people have been affected," said Adamu Babale, head of the Nigerian Red Cross in Jigawa, confirming figures given by the local government in the state which has a population of about 4.3 million people. The water has subsided to a degree in recent weeks in Jigawa, but a number of villages remained submerged on Friday, with water up to the roofs in certain areas. Some villagers were using canoes. Many of the villages in the flooded areas consisted of mud-and-thatch huts and were populated by fishermen who work the river and farmers growing maize, millet and rice. Babale said it was difficult to ascertain the degree of destruction because the flooding "keeps hammering everyday". "It's an everyday affair. But on estimate, about 350,000 houses or more," said Babale, calling the situation "catastrophic".
Jigawa is located in the far north of Nigeria along the border with Niger. In Sokoto state, entire villages have been reported washed away after a dam burst earlier this month. Doctors Without Borders has been working to assist the displaced there with water and shelter. The organisation has estimated that around 40,000 people remain displaced in northern Sokoto, but it has been unable to confirm the numbers because access to the area is difficult and boats scarce. "A large part of the area is still submerged," said Gautam Chatterjee, an official with a non-governmental organisation in Sokoto. The displaced were in need of clean water, he said, adding that food was less of an issue because residents and the government were donating supplies.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who is running in elections set for early next year, toured Sokoto's flooded areas last week and pledged help. Umar Kyari, spokesman for Jigawa state, said flooding occurred after authorities opened the gates of the Challawa and Tiga dams in nearby Kano state to avoid overflowing following the heavy rains. Local government officials have heavily criticised the agency in charge of managing the dams, saying similar incidents have occurred in the past and they have not changed their approach. They called for the river to be dredged. About 90,000 hectares (222,400 acres) of farmland have been washed away, the state says. Over 5,000 villages in 13 of 27 local government areas have been affected over the course of a couple months, according to state and Red Cross officials. Kyari said that although water is released from the dams almost every year and low-lying plains are flooded, "this year is just very bad".
The floods have occurred despite forecasts of low rainfall in the north for this year's rainy season from Nigeria's meteorological agency, which had previously warned that more than 12 million people in the region could face food shortages as a result.
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