Benue River


The Benue River 
Benue River (), previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major tributary of the Niger River, with a length of approximately  long and  almost entirely navigable during the summer months. The size of its catchment basin is . As a result, it is an important transportation route in the regions through which it flows. The name Benue comes from Binuwe meaning 'Mother of Waters’ in the Batta language.

Major Flood 
Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), conducted a “disaster risk management analysis” and advised Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to take proactive steps to mitigate the impact of climate change. The agency advised that water bodies across some states be desilted and dredged regularly to make water available for various purposes. The agency urged relevant institutions to carry out routine monitoring of dams and water bodies to ensure their operation rule curve for reservoirs is adhered to.

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) conducted a “disaster risk management analysis” and advised Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to take proactive steps to mitigate the impact of climate change. The agency advised that water bodies across some states be desilted and dredged regularly to make water available for various purposes. The agency urged relevant institutions to carry out routine monitoring of dams and water bodies to ensure their operation rule curve for reservoirs is adhered to.

2022 Flood 
In October 2022, farmers in Adamawa State struggled to clear off remnants of crops destroyed by a flood along the River Benue valley. The flood disaster disrupted many communities across Nigeria’s 36 states, with hundreds of villages and urban centers submerged in water. The disaster unsettled over 2.4 million people and over 600 fatalities were recorded. Additionally, expansive hectares of farmlands across affected states were swept off.

On Friday, September 23rd, 2022, Flood affected all riverine local government areas of Benue, according to the state Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment, Godwin Oyiwona. The flooding affected Makurdi, Agatu, Logo, Guma, Buruku, Otukpo, and Gwer-West. The government is working to mitigate flooding effects and has released funds for cleaning the Idye Basin.

The worst hit is mostly residents of agrarian communities hosting major tributaries of the Benue River that cuts across seven of the 21 local governments in the state. Within three months, 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) were submerged, affecting 82,730 residents, 13,788 households, 51 people injured, and 27 deaths. Farmlands worth billions of naira were equally destroyed.

January 2020 
President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated a 3.35-km drainage channel project in Makurdi, Benue, to address ecological challenges in the Idye Community. The project, part of the 17 ecological intervention projects, was approved by the President in the fourth quarter of 2017 and completed in 48 weeks. The project aims to address the devastating effects of erosion and flood in the community, highlighting the Federal Government’s commitment to tackling problems and making life more meaningful for citizens.

2017 Flood 
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Idye Community was among the worst-hit areas of the 2017 flood that displaced over 120,000 persons in the Benue capital, Makurdi. Floods have devastated more than 200 households in Makurdi.

Pollution
Benue Hike Tourism and Conservation Foundation, in an attempt to keep the river protected from various forms of pollution, informed the Benue State Government about the irregularities of some companies in the state for emptying waste in the river. Waste like ethanol, that could easily cause damage to human and aquatic life, was dumped into Benue River. Subsequently, the Benue State Government took an immediate attempt in addressing the issue to prevent further damages for its citizenry.

Geography
It rises in the Adamawa Plateau of northern Cameroon, from where it flows west, and through the town of Garoua and Lagdo Reservoir, into Nigeria south of the Mandara mountains, and through Jimeta, Ibi and Makurdi before meeting the Niger River at Lokoja.

Large tributaries are the Faro River, the Gongola River and the Mayo Kébbi, which connects it with the Logone River (part of the Lake Chad system) during floods. Other tributaries includeTaraba River and River Katsina Ala.

At the point of confluence, the Benue exceeds the Niger by volume. The mean discharge before 1960 was  for the Benue and  for the Niger. During the following decades, the runoff of both rivers decreased markedly due to irrigation.

The Benue River flooded in October 2012, resulting in a large increase in the population of venomous snakes in the Duguri District, Alkaleri Local Government Area, Bauchi State. A July 2013 report indicated that over 200 people in the district had died of snakebite. The General Hospital in Kaltungo, Gombe State in Nigeria, is the nearest location for treatment of snakebite; "whoever is lucky to make it to Kaltungo is treated in only two days and then they return home."

References

External links

 
Tributaries of the Niger River
Rivers of Cameroon
Rivers of Nigeria
International rivers of Africa
North Region (Cameroon)