Moshood Adebayo
Miffed by the ravaging flood occasioned by downpours across the state and ahead of expected heavy rainfall, the Lagos State Government has warned residents living in flood-prone areas to vacate their premises.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, who gave the warning, yesterday, said going by experts’ prediction, more rainfalls were still being expected.
The Nigerian Metrological Services (NIMET) had earlier predicted intense rainfall in some parts of the country.
“It is important to state that for a coastal city like Lagos once it rains consistently for a minimum of eight hours, we are bound to have flash flood caused by increasing inability of high rise of the lagoon which is brought about by a rise of the ocean waters.
“This will automatically lock up all our drainages and until the water level goes down, the drainages would be unable to discharge. This is the new wave in most coastal cities around the world including those who have adopted the best of technological advancements to contain flooding.
“We are once again using this medium to sound a note of warning to those engaging in these unwholesome acts to desist because if they are caught, we will ensure that they are diligently prosecuted. We have given clear instructions to all enforcement agents not to treat environmental and sanitation offenders with kid gloves anymore.
“Anyone arrested should be made to face the full weight of the law. We are also stepping up our drainage compliance enforcements to ensure that we remove all infractions after serving due notices on them. Enough is enough.”
While commiserating with families of those who were reportedly swept away, Bello warned those living in flood prone to vacate their premises so as not to become victim of the flash flood.
On the gradual release of the dam water, Bello said dwellers around River-Ogun, should also prepare for immense flooding in view of the designed capacity of the dam is 270 million cubic metre with an annual runoff of 1770mc3.
“The dam is opened yearly as a mitigating effort to create space in the for the storm water to have maximum deployment. The storm water to have its maximum deployment, The amount 0f water released yearly is determined by the combination Of index of SRP and AFC and hylydrological data base of Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority,” he said