No cause for alarm over alau dam, zulum assures maiduguri residents

No cause for alarm over Alau Dam, Zulum assures Maiduguri residents

By Madu Mohammed, Maiduguri.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state has assured the residents of Maiduguri, the state capital and it’s environs that there’s no cause for alerm over the resisting water level of the Alu Dam.

Governor Zulum alloyed the fear over the rising level of water of Alau Dam when he paid inspection visit to the Alau Dam yesterday, noting that there is no cause of alarm.

The fear was coming following a heavy down pour that flooded Maiduguri and there local government areas of the state that resulted into widespread fear of flood and anxiety among residents of Maiduguri.

Speaking shortly after inspecting the Dam on Saturday, Zulum said that the widespread panic in Maiduguri was also a serious concern to his administration but insisted that there was no cause for alarm over any possible devastating flood due to overflow from Alau Dam.

The Governor said that new channels have been opened up, and the water was running, stressing that the level of water in Alau Dam has dropped about 4 inches within the last few days, and the volume would continue to drop.

“As at now based on the engineering knowledge we are having, we concluded that there is no cause for alarm,”However, nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, we are working and shall continue to monitor this programme. The contractor is doing a good job.”, Zulum said.

He, however, warned the residents in flood-prone areas from dumping refuse into the drainage systems in front of their houses and those who were in the habit of building on water ways to desist from doing so.

“Most importantly, i want to warn the people of this state to desist from building on water ways, and they should be very careful” he said.

The governor urged the residents to be law abiding, saying “if you have drainage in front of your house, you have to make sure you clean it all the time”.

On reviewing the master plan, Governor Zulum disclosed that his administration was going to look at the whole master plan and see where distortions were being made with a view to rectify all abnormalities.

“But we must go back to the drawing board and then look at the master plan and ensure that all tributaries and all water ways shall be cleared so as to allow inflow of water to the main channels, we must enforce certain environmental standards, which is very painful but i believe we have no option,” Zulum said.

On the delay of the reconstruction of Alau Dam, the Governor said that the delay was due to some technical procedures, but assured the public that the contractors had resumed fully.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu for approving N80 billion to execute the ongoing work at Alau Dam.