Nigerian Flooding Displaces 2 Million

Posted on Sep 25, 2010

International Rivers / Dr. Muslim Idris

Nigerians make their way across a flood-swollen river in the north in this 2008 photo.

The Nigerian government may or may not have warned residents that it would open up the floodgates of two dams in the northern part of the country last month, unleashing a deluge of water that has displaced more than 2 million people.

An estimated 5,000 villages have been affected by the release of water that the government traditionally practices every year. The human toll, if any, is not yet known. —JCL

The BBC:

About two million people in northern Nigeria have been displaced after authorities opened the floodgates on two dams, an official says.

The flooding began suddenly when the gates on the Challawa and Tiga dams were opened, a spokesman for the Jigawa governor said.

The dams are in Kano state, but about 5,000 villages in neighbouring Jigawa state have been affected, he added.

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