World Bank inspection team says Kaduna’s Kangimi Dam not at risk of imminent collapse
A team of dam-safety specialists from the World Bank has dismissed reports that the Kangimi Dam in Kaduna State is at risk of imminent collapse, saying preliminary assessment shows that the structure remains stable.
The inspection was carried out following widespread reports that the dam was in a deplorable condition and could collapse at any time.
The Kangimi Dam was constructed under the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) Project.
Speaking to journalists after the assessment tour, the Kaduna State Project Coordinator for SPIN, Engineer Hashim Jafar Usman, said the exercise was aimed at assessing the condition of the dam and identifying measures needed to strengthen its safety and support rehabilitation efforts.
He said although recent reports had raised concerns about the safety of the dam, the assessment conducted so far had not established any structural problem suggesting an imminent collapse.
Engineer Usman said: “What we have seen today is not different from what we know. Kangimi Dam is stable and okay.
So far, we have not seen anything wrong with the structure of the dam.”
He explained that the SPIN Project would undertake rehabilitation interventions focused primarily on improving dam safety.
The Coordinator said the state was preparing to engage consultants to conduct a comprehensive Dam Safety Assessment and develop a Dam Safety Management Plan.
According to him, the documents would provide the necessary framework for monitoring, managing and maintaining the safety of the dam.
Engineer Usman further explained that SPIN was not limited to Kaduna State, but was a nationwide project being implemented across the 36 states of the federation.
He said the project was designed to improve water resources management, strengthen dam safety and expand irrigation development to boost agricultural production.
According to him, the irrigation scheme currently has about 87 hectares of land under cultivation, while the project aims to expand the area to approximately 1,500 hectares.
He said the expansion would enable farmers to cultivate the land during both the rainy and dry seasons, thereby increasing agricultural production and contributing to food security.
Engineer Usman added that the intervention would not only benefit communities in Kaduna State but also contribute to the broader agricultural development and food-security objectives of the country.
Meanwhile, a resident of Rogi Community, Ibrahim Galadima, told Radio Nigeria Kaduna that the dam was currently in good condition, dismissing reports that it had developed cracks or was at risk of collapsing.
He, however, called for urgent rehabilitation of the facility, including the removal of overgrown vegetation and deepening of the dam to improve its effectiveness.
Galadima also identified poor road infrastructure as a major challenge facing farmers in the community, saying the condition of the road made it difficult for them to transport their produce to markets after harvest.
He described the condition of the community’s health facility as critical, saying the area had only a small clinic with one health worker.
According to him, although the local government had posted health workers to the facility, some were reluctant to report for duty because of the poor road network and insecurity in the area.
The community leader appealed to the Kaduna State Government under Governor Uba Sani to renovate and equip the health facility and deploy additional health workers to the community.
He also called for improved staffing of the community’s primary and secondary schools, noting that the shortage of teachers was affecting the education of children in the area.
Galadima urged the government to provide adequate teachers and improve educational facilities to ensure better learning outcomes for children in the community.
