The devastating flood that ravaged most parts of the North-central states last year has once again brought to fore the urgent need for the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission's take-off.

The 2012 flooding had in its wake claimed innocent lives and as well destroyed massive farmlands and property worth millions of naira. The unprecedented natural disaster wreaked havoc in most North-central states, especially Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Benue States.

In the nation's usual fire brigade approach, government agencies such as NEMA, SEMA, security agencies and NGOs like the Red Cross were mobilised to mitigate the effect of the flooding.

Though, the federal and state governments provided some palliatives for the victims, the latest warning from Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) on the impending flooding in some parts of the country has clearly shown that we need more than the palliatives to ward off the problem of the annual flooding.

Rather than ad-hoc arrangements, the government and all other stakeholders including the National Assembly should expedite action on the take off of HYPADEC.

The commission based on the provisions of the Act that established it is better placed to find a lasting solution to the incessant flooding usually occasioned by the release of water from the hydro dams situated in Niger and Kwara States.

The government of the concerned states are now imploring those living in the flood prone areas to relocate without necessarily providing an alternative or a permanent accommodation for them. HYPADEC would have mapped out effective solutions to this problem of relocation through long term planning.

The Act establishing HYPADEC had been passed into law by the Senate since November, 2008. After concurrence by the House of Representatives, it was assented to by President Goodluck Jonathan on August 27, 2010.

Consequent upon this, the sum of N350 million was allocated in the 2011 budget as grant for its take-off under the ministry of power. And since that time a committee of the secretaries to the governments of the concerned states had been formed with a mandate to pursue the effective take off of the commission.

The commission, according to findings has been provided with a secretariat in Minna, Niger State, while the governors of the concerned states, especially Governors AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara and Babagida Aliyu of Niger States have always assured their people of the determination of their governments to ensure the take off of the commission.

However, the twin issue of what percentage of the total revenue generated by any company or authority from the operations of any of these hydro-dams in any member-state of the commission should be credited to the commission's funds and an amendment sought to include Benue State in the scheme drew the hand of the clock backward.

While the percentage payable by the energy companies had been resolved, the amendment to the bill to include Benue State in the Act remains HYPADEC's albatross.

The LEADERSHIP Sunday's findings showed that the bill has been amended at the Senate but it is still awaiting the concurrence amendment by the House of Representatives.

The three Hydro-Electric Power stations – Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro located in Niger and Kwara States, according to a document on HYPADEC stumbled upon by LEADERSHIP Sunday, generate close to 50 per cent of the nation's electricity.

According to the document, Kainji Dam was constructed in 1968 on River Niger with an installed capacity of 760mw. In 1985, Jebba hydro-electric dam in tandem with Kainji was constructed also on the River Niger with an installed capacity of 578mw. While Shiroro hydro-electric dam was commissioned in 1990 with an installed capacity of about 600mw. The three hydro-stations form the dam region covering a land mass of 1,888 sq. km.

The operational activities of the three hydro-electric dams have serious negative effects in varying degrees on the host communities along the flood plains of River Niger, Kaduna and downstream as far as Lokoja.

The operational activities of the three hydro-electric dams brought about traumatic occupational changes and exposed vast residential and rich fadama rice production areas to annual flooding and attendant harrowing ordeals, famine and social dislocation on the communities in Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara and Niger States. The situation became a desperate one that required a clear form of extra-ordinary and specialised intervention by government.

The bill establishing "The Hydro-Electric Power producing areas development commission" vested in HYPADEC, the responsibility of managing the ecological menace due to operations of the Hydro-Dams and related matters.

Some concerned citizens of the affected states who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday, appealed to the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal to ensure that the HYPADEC bill is amended and passed into law without further delay.

They particularly enjoined the speaker to ensure that the bill undergoes the third and the last reading in the House; a requirement for it to be passed into law, reminding him that a lot of disservice is being done to the people of HYPADEC states because of the delay in the passage of the bill.

The respondents also appealed to the governors of the HYPADEC states to strive to bring to fruition the take off of the commission, considering its economic gains to the people of the areas.