In Nigeria farmers fear another flood as Cameroon opens dam

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00:00Walking through his rice paddies, Enoch Fatter is worried about the rising water levels.

00:06The Nigerian farmer has barely slept, haunted by the devastating floods from two years ago,

00:11caused by Cameroon releasing water from the Lagdo Dam and the Benu River, which crosses

00:16both countries, bursting its banks.

00:18Today, Enoch fears a repeat scenario.

00:21It's almost covered with water again.

00:26So it just got me confused again.

00:28Because of that, I didn't farm the rice this year the way I did the other time, because

00:34I was afraid of losing what I lost the other time, because the loss was huge."

00:40Earlier this week, the Cameroon authorities announced the release of water from the Lagdo

00:44Dam.

00:45In neighbouring Nigeria, which is already suffering deadly floods, farmers are worried

00:49that the situation could get worse.

00:52The destruction of farms by flooding could push up food prices, at a time when the country

00:56is already facing a serious economic crisis.

01:00For this environmentalist, whose house was destroyed by the waters, the government must

01:05act.

01:06The Senate has urged President Tinibu to go back and work on the Ausa Dashi Dam, to ensure

01:14the completion of that dam, so that now that Cameroon has released water, the Ausa Dashi

01:22Dam will be able to serve as shock absorber."

01:25Nigeria is prone to flooding, but critics say defective infrastructure and poor planning

01:31have worsened the situation.

01:33According to the UN, over four million people have been affected by flooding so far this

01:38year in West Africa, a three-fold increase from 2023.

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