Lagos residents, especially those residing in the lowland areas, and the authorities in the state should brace up for another spate of flooding before the end of this year’s rainy season. This warning is coming on the heels of the flooding of most parts of the state that claimed many lives and property worth millions of naira.
Blue-chip investments worth over N600 billion located in Lagos Island as well as some 100 communities located along the Atlantic Ocean line in the state are at a risk of being washed away.
?
The chief meteorologist at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Mr. Abayomi Akinkunmi Oyegoke, gave an insight of the turbulent weather when he told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the incessant flooding in Lagos was as a result of global warming. He said: “What happened in Lagos and some parts of south-western states is as a result of increase in water level. This had been predicted, and, from experience, we may not be 100 per cent accurate, but we have been 80% accurate in our predictions. We have predicted that there will be heavy rainfall this year and this has to do with global warming.
?
“There are many aspects of global warming. It is basically the melting of the ice caps in Europe which has increased the water level globally. That is why there is flooding anytime it rains because the water level is already high. Global warming is equally responsible for what is called weather variability.
“The unfortunate thing is that our drainage system is bad. Little rain causes flooding because we have not shown enough commitment to management of our drainages. We need to clear the available drainages and construct more channels for water in order to lessen its effect on the people and the environment.”
Why the situation in Lagos and some parts of Ogun state is peculiar, he explained that they are surrounded by water, pointing out that as experts and researchers what they do is to alert the public whenever they foresee heavy rain.
?
Mr Oyegoke stated: “At least, we can give up to 72 hours notice to people so that they can prepare in advance for heavy rainfall. But managing the environment to prevent flooding can only be done by some government agencies at both the federal and state levels.”
Apart from the fresh rainfall forecast by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), LEADERSHIP SUNDAY investigations showed that? the impending flood from the anticipated rainfall may ravage no fewer than 25 communities in Lagos which include Ikosi-Ketu, Mile 12, Agiliti, Thomas Laniyan Estate, Owode-Onirin, Agboyi, Owode Elede, Maidan and Isheri North Scheme.
?
The fear of residents is further heightened because more than 75 villages along the coastline and 26 villages along the creeks of Lagos are prone to serious coastal erosion and water incursion from the Atlantic Ocean.
Corporate organisations whose properties adorn the entire Atlantic Ocean stretch, apart from risking their lives, stand the chance of incurring over N600 billion damage to their properties and investments in the highbrow Lagos Island and beyond.
?
In one of the affected communities, the Agaja village in Olomo Meta community, the residents confirmed to our correspondent that they had been sending distress calls to the state government since 2007 when water from the ocean almost overran a greater part of the village.
Speaking on the measures put in place so far to combat the anticipated flood, the permanent secretary of the Office of Drainage Service in the Ministry of Environment, Engr. Muyedeen Akinsanya, told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the forecast has brought to the front burner the need to acquaint the state’s teeming residents with the necessary measures they needed to observe in order to keep flood channels clear of any form of solid wastes. ?
The expert in flood control said that, to avoid incurring loss of lives and property, the state government should urge all the residents in all the communities “to move to higher grounds within the months of June to mid September and October because the capacity of most canals is not likely to contain the volume of runoff flood expected from the rainfall”.
?
The permanent secretary assured that many channels in the metropolis, “have been cleared, while maintenance schedule is also being pursued with vigour.
He said the state government was confident that flooding will be effectively contained and controlled, but added that, to stave off impeding flood disaster, the residents should desist from building structures along the drain alignments or compromising drainage structures.
He warned Lagos residents and property owners along the river banks and flood plains “to be very vigilant and raise alarm in case of high rise in water level and ensure that they immediately vacate the water path in case of heavy flooding. They should put safety of lives before anything else”, he said.
“In terms of key performance indicators, close to 70 per cent of the state wetland has been drained and the degree of flooding reduced drastically, as well as a 100 percent reduction in fatalities due to the menace.”
He added that the intervention informed the creation of the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang (EFAG) as a quick response squad to provide emergency services of flood-related distress in Lagos State.
“EFAG undertakes the construction, re-construction or rehabilitation of drains, culverts, manholes including covers, inspection chambers conduit drains where necessary. All these efforts have produced desired results, ” he affirmed.
Though the state government had been constrained to demolish private buildings and public buildings which include police stations and religious worship centres, the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, strongly believes that these problems threatening human existence are largely caused by human errors and recalcitrance of people living in the urban centres.???? ?
However, the? general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said there is no reason to panic, as the state government had put in place measures to tackle flooding as well as expand LASEMA’s capacity to handle emergency situations.
He told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the state government had concluded plans to build more temporary relief camps to cater for displaced persons.
According to him, the state government would construct two more camps to complement the existing Agbowa Relief Camp, near Ikorodu, which presently accommodates 1,100 displaced persons who were sacked by flood in the Ajegunle-Ikorodu axis of Lagos in August 2010.
The LASEMA boss, who explained that additional camps would be constructed in two other senatorial districts, added that the relief camps would be built at Igando and Lekki axis of the state to balance proximity of LASEMA facility to Lagos West and Lagos Central senatorial districts respectively.
He said as time goes on the Agbowa camp would only cater for displaced persons in the Lagos East senatorial district.
Oke-Osanyintolu maintained sealed lips on the amount the facility would gulp, but hinted that the Igando relief camp would accommodate more than 1,000 people. He failed to reveal what would be the capacity of the Lekki relief camp.
?