Flooding Menace in Lagos Island
One main issue facing Lagos today is environmental degradation. This is partly as a result of Lagos status as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria and, indeed, West Africa. With a population of about 24 million people, Lagos, no doubt, deserves a significant provision for a hygienic and flood-free environment. Lagos naturally runs the risk of environmental hazard as its continuous increase in population exposes it to several environmental hazards.
The rains are again here and Lagos, Nigeria’s city of Aquatic Splendour runs the risk of being in the firm but cold embrace of flood. Whenever it rains, flooding is usually a nightmarish experience for many Lagos residents.
Added to the Lagos flooding concern is the peculiar nature of the state’s landscape which is basically made up of low-lying terrain up to 0.4 per cent below the sea level. Obviously, this poses serious drainage challenge for the state, thereby making it vulnerable to flooding. In Lagos, the water from the Lagoon goes into the Atlantic Ocean. Once the Atlantic Ocean is full, the water from the Lagos Lagoon cannot get into it. Consequently, the excess water from the Lagos Lagoon naturally leads to flooding.
It is, thus, very important for Lagosians to desist from all human activities that could further aggravate the flooding situation in the state. Therefore, actions such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised places like drains and canals, trading on drainage channels, illegal building of structures on drainage alignments, road setbacks and verges among others should be shun by the people.
Lagosians must, at all times, embrace positive attitude towards the environment. As earlier stated, Lagos presently has a population in excess of 24 million people and it is still increasing. The implication of this on our environment is increased tonnes of waste generation. If this trend of environmental abuse, especially indiscriminate waste disposal persists, it may spell greater doom than what have been experienced in the past, in terms of flooding.
The only exemptions to such ugly scenes of flooding after rains in Lagos are perhaps, the Government Reserved Areas and private estates in the metropolis where the elite reside, as they are usually kept free of indiscriminate dumping of refuse. Lagos is bedevilled by the result of partial collection of their waste. Most importantly, the city has not succeeded in cultivating the communities in terms of sustainable waste disposal methods, and ownership of such projects in terms of income generating activities for the communities’ members.
Although it cannot be denied that the present administration in the state has shown efforts and commitment towards ensuring a hygienic and safe environment, but more still has to be done as nothing can be too much to be done in securing the lives and property of the people. Lagos Island is often the worst hit when it comes to flooding in the state.
Areas in Lagos Island such as Ojo Giwa Street, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan road, Oroyinyin Street, Ido Oluwo Street, Shademi Street and environs are often flooded beyond imagination in the aftermath of heavy downpour. These areas have suffered the most from the downpour within the last few days. Lagosians residing within these areas have lodged complaints severally on this condition, uploaded several videos on social media on the impact of the flooding but all to no avail. People in the areas have lost their valuables and incurred record expenses.
As previously stated, the present administration in the state is doing its best to address quite a number of environmental hazards in the state, despite lean resources and other competing needs. However, we implore the government to see this as a clarion call from the people of Lagos Island to pay special attention to the almost unbearable challenges of flooding in the area.
On our part as residents of Lagos Island, we are communicating to the people to embrace attitudinal changes that would impact positively on the environment so that whenever it rains the damaging effects of flooding can be mitigated. We will not rest on our oars until our people stop all flooding-induced habits. Now that the rains are fully here, we will do all things that are within our reach as a people to reduce its negative effects on us. But there is, indeed, an urgent need for the state government to quickly come in and do the needful for the sake of protecting human lives and property.