Ministry denies Dadin Kowa dam collapse

by Chima Azubuike

The Minister of Water Resources on Wednesday, debunked insinuations that the Dadin Kowa dam is in bad shape and on the verge of collapse.

Recall that the Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission Abubakar Sadiq, had in Niger State raised the alarm.

Debunking media reports that the dam has been overwhelmed and as a result sacked host communities, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Engineer Joseph Utsev, said the report is unfounded.

Utsev, who led a delegation on an assessment of the dam declared that so far there was no cause for alarm, adding that the dam is currently serving the tripod purpose of electricity generation, irrigation and supply of water to the people of Gombe State.

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to a publication regarding the Dadin Kowa dam here in Gombe State that the dam is on the verge of collapsing due to flooding.

We are here today to assess the status of this dam and give a report to Nigerians. We are here at Dadin Kowa to assess the true status of the dam.

“As you can see behind me, those that came here thought it was flooding but it’s not flooding. It’s as a result of natural phenomenon that’s how water that comes from spillway flows.”

While urging the public to ignore false claims, the Minister added, “We want to tell Nigerians that the reservoir is functioning normally, the spillway and the mechanical components are in normal state. There is no cause for alarm.”

Also speaking, Minister of State Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo, warned non-professionals to desist from commenting on areas that require expert input.

Goronyo said, “I just want to emphasise that people who are not knowledgeable in this area, people who don’t understand how the hydrology of a given dam is working should desist from speaking to media on issues bordering on water.”