Maiduguri Flood Survivors Face Uncertain Future After Devastating Dam Collapse

Tue Sep 30 2025 03:57:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

One year after a dam collapse triggered catastrophic flooding in Maiduguri, survivors like Sa'adatu Dahiru and Maryam Jidda confront ongoing hardships, with inadequate support and rising fears of new floods.

The city of Maiduguri, Nigeria, grapples with the aftermath of a catastrophic dam collapse that resulted in significant flooding last year, causing the deaths of at least 37 people and displacing over two million residents. Survivors recount the tragedy and their ongoing struggles, facing food scarcity, lack of shelter, and interrupted education. Amidst these challenges, government initiatives aim to reconstruct damaged infrastructure, but many feel abandoned and helpless as they await necessary aid.

The threat of flooding once again looms over the city of Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, a year after torrential rains and the collapse of a dam left entire neighbourhoods submerged in water.

For many residents who are still bearing the scars of last year's floods, the possibility of a repeat has created huge unease.

At least 37 people died in the floods and two million had to abandon their houses after the widespread destruction of homes, farms and businesses.

Forty-two-year-old Sa'adatu Dahiru lost her two-year-old son.

He died as a result of hunger and fever during the flood. We had no proper food, no medicine, and no safe place to stay, she tells the BBC.

She told the BBC how her children cried and they had to rush out in the middle of the night carrying only a few clothes, leaving everything else behind.

She says she did receive some state support of 10,000 naira ($7; £5) when the flood happened.

However, the mother of six says government assistance has since halted: Since then, none of the other promises from the government have reached us. We are still waiting, still suffering.

The Borno state government asserts it has supported local communities impacted by the disaster, with the establishment of relief camps and food aid as well as cash handouts.

More significantly, the government has begun reconstructing the dam and dyke system at Alau - on the outskirts of Maiduguri - which caused the flooding.

Construction of the dam started in 1986 and is maintained by the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA), an agency of the Nigerian government.

However, ongoing violence from the Boko Haram group has hindered dam maintenance, contributing to its failure.

Maryam Jidda, another flood victim, recalls fleeing her homeland and then experiencing the secondary trauma of the flood, now living in temporary, inadequate shelter. There’s nothing left but memories and pain, she laments.

The local government, while insisting on aid provided, acknowledges the critical challenges posed by an already overburdened city and pledges reconstruction efforts. Yet, as the new rainy season approaches, the fear of flooding re-emerges, leaving many survivors wondering how to move forward with their lives amid a grim reality of loss and despair. How do I start again when I have nothing? asks Dahiru, reflecting the profound uncertainty faced by the community.