Breaking Story – The massive hydro-electric dam located in New Bussa town in Niger State, has burst.
Operators of the Kainji dam opened four spill ways in response to heavy rains in the area recently, however, the water pressure was still excessive and part of the dam embankment collapsed and water could be seen gushing out with great force. Workers have shut down the facility to start repairs immediately.
With this plant offline, this means that millions of Nigerians can expect blackouts since this dam produces 760 MW of electricity, and who knows how long it will take to make the necessary repairs. The Kainji dam is one of the oldest in Nigeria and was commissioned in 1968 at the cost of 209 million US dollars.
There is also real fears of widespread environmental disasters if this spill does not get under control soon. Real Estate and housing could be destroyed as well as farmland and road networks could be damaged.
We hope this disaster gets contained shortly and we will provide updates as we receive them – in the meantime you can see video of the burst below, courtesy of ARISE News.
