The Impact of 2024 Maiduguri Flood Disaster on Food Security

Alau Dam
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By Mustapha Bura

Floods affect more people than any other natural disaster. Flooding occurs when bodies of water flow onto land that is normally dry. The source of this overflowing water varies and some of the most common causes are:

  • Storms and torrential rain – Storms often bring large quantities of precipitation, either slowly over a period of days or in a matter of minutes in the case of flash floods.
  • Overflowing Dams, rivers, lakes, and oceans – External sources such as rain, snow melt, or obstructions, can cause the water level in rivers and lakes to rise, spilling over and out onto surrounding land

When floods inundate inhabited areas, they have immediate and long-term consequences. The immediate impact is disruption; flood water can block transportation routes, isolating parts of cities or entirely cutting off access to remote communities. Large quantities of water may sweep away fragile buildings and bridges, and damage electrical supplies. Agriculture can also suffer greatly with crops being destroyed or livestock drowning.

The long-term impact is that large quantities of water are difficult to remove, and as such floods usually remain for long periods of time. This poses hazards to sanitation; dirty water and overflowing sewage are breeding grounds for diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Work on restoring and repairing infrastructure may be delayed for long periods of time if large quantities of water remain in the area. Agricultural losses may affect the future food security of a community or nation, requiring those affected to obtain food from elsewhere.

The 2024 Maiduguri flood occurred because of the collapsed of the popular Alau Dam. On 9 September 2024, the dam collapsed following heavy rains, resulting in floods that inundated up to 15% of Maiduguri and killed a significant number of livestock in the city. At least 30 people were killed due to flooding in the area Several hundred thousand people were displaced from their homes in Maiduguri. Alau Dam was 9 metres (30 ft) high with a square reservoir area of about 50 kilometres (31 mi). The maximum storage capacity is 112 million cubic metres (4.0 billion cubic feet).

The Alau Dam is situated in the Alau community of Konduga local government area of Borno State in the Northeast region of Nigeria, constructed in 1984–1986. It impounds a major reservoir on the Ngadda River, one of the tributaries of the Lake Chad. In 2024, the dam collapsed, causing catastrophic flooding in Borno State and killing over 30 people, with at least 400,000 people displaced

The inflow of water into Alau and Jere Bowl depends mainly on the natural inflow of the Ngadda River, which is seasonal. The Ngadda River is a tributary of the larger Yedzeram River, which originates in the Hudu Hills east of Mubi and flows northwest to Lake Chad. During the wet season, the Yedzeram River contributes a massive inflow of water into the Ngadda River, which then flows into Alau and Jere Bowl. However, during years of low rainfall, the Yedzeram River does not contribute as much water to the Ngalda River, and the inflow into Alau and Jere Bowl can be significantly reduced. Alau Dam receives water from the Yedzram and Gombole rivers which meet at the Sambisa Forest and flow as the Ngadda river into the dam. Alau Dam receives a wide variety of waste from agricultural lands. Its reservoir was also used for commercial fishing.

Food security can be defined as the availability, affordability and accessibility of food for human use. The flood affected the two major markets in the city of Maiduguri, namely the Monday Market and the Gamboru grain market leading to the destruction of tons of grains and beans which the city and the state at large depended on for their source of food and thus, leading to the affecting of the

availability of food. Similarly, stored seeds, seedlings and other agro-chemicals used for food production were also seriously destroyed. Cereal Crops such as Sorghum, Rice, Maize, and Millet cultivated near the bank of the stream and in farming areas around Zabarmari, Koshebe, Dutsman were completely destroyed and these agrarian communities contributes to the 80% of food crops produced in the city. Dry seasons seedlings such as onion seedlings, cassava stem, Red Sorghum seedlings, Rice Seedlings and other vital planting materials for dry season farming were also destroyed by the flood.

According to the inhabitants of Maiduguri city who lived in the city for over sixty years disclosed that this is the worse flood in the history of the state. The flood surely showed that it seriously affected wet season farming leading to scarcity of food and affected the future dry season farming which is usually starting in first week of October every year and even as at time of writing this report, the water is still stagnant in some farmlands along the farming areas with no sign of receding or where to drain into and thus affecting availability of accessible lands for farming.

In conclusion, there is need for additional Dam constructions in the state in order to decongest the Alau Dam, creating awareness on environmental sanitations to evacuate dirt from drainages, avoiding buildings along the riverbanks among other measures.

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1 thought on “The Impact of 2024 Maiduguri Flood Disaster on Food Security”

  1. Leave them alone is what lead to this reckless behaviour by government agencies in charge of this matters. Other dams are not being talked about right now until they get damage fine.
    We need to protect our lands now.

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