Ngozi Nwoke
The rainy season is here again. Though many are happy that the scorching heat experienced over the months would be a thing of the past, some are apprehensive of what the season portends.
Their fears are, however, not without cause. Over the years, Lagos, especially, has experienced massive flooding incidents that led to unquantifiable losses in both lives and property.
In Lagos, for instance, thousands of residents have had a hectic time navigating many areas because of the flooded roads. In some parts of the city, many, in recent times, have been rendered homeless, with business premises and other facilities destroyed.
According to investigations, lowland areas such as Bariga, Sabo-Yaba, Ajegunle, Surulere, Shomolu, Lekki Peninsula, Ikoyi and Victoria Island, are often the worst affected.
Victims have expressed sadness and fears over their losses and how to survive the destruction of their homes and household property caused by the flood. Some have relocated from their houses, moving in with friends and relatives whose homes were not affected by the flood.
During the last heavy rainfall, a man identified as Mr Job Azeez, a carpenter who resides in a part of Ikorodu, was a victim. It was learnt that he lost his eight-year-old daughter to the flood that affected his area.
“I feel angry that all I have laboured for in the past 15 years is gone in one day. My hard work in raising my daughter up to this level is also gone,” he bemoaned.
He revealed that he left his daughter at home under the care of his neighbour, only to be informed that his daughter died in the flood while trying to save his property from getting destroyed by the rain.
“I was at my workshop when my neighbour called to inform me that my daughter was trapped in the flood inside my house and all efforts to save her were in vain. Before I could get home, she had already drowned.
“Now I have no child and no home,” he lamented.
Another affected resident, Mr Bankole Ajayi, an undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Akoka, who lives off-campus, said he planned to relocate from his apartment in Yaba which was badly affected by the flood, to a better apartment when the rainy season is over.
Said he: “I travelled to my hometown for the weekend, when my housemates called me
to say that the whole house was flooded. I thought it was a joke until my landlady called to inform me of the flood. I came back immediately and saw my room flooded, all my belongings on the floor were already soaked, and I only managed to pick my credentials.
“I will relocate from the place for now and manage to go to school till the rainy season is over.” Flooding is experienced not only in Lagos State. It is both a national and global phenomenon.
In Asaba, Delta State recently, two people were reported to have also drowned. A ten-year-old girl was said to have been swept away by the flood while a middle-aged man also lost his life when he fell inside a water channel and was swept away. Both incidents were reported to have happened on Okpanam Road, Asaba.
Suleija, a popular town in Niger State, suffered its own flooding challenge in late May. The heavy rains washed houses away and caused others to collapse, trapping occupants and keeping them stranded.
An estate surveyor, Mr. Cletus Udoh, CEO, Cletus Properties Ltd, Lekki, Lagos, said some landlords might lose their tenants and the cost of house and shops repair might be high, which might lead to rent increment and also affect the value of affected properties.
“Tenants may relocate to houses with less chances of flooding. It is right to think that the flood may impact negatively on the values of properties. It is possible. The demand to live in a flood-free location will be high and many tenants will choose to live in an expensive location that is free from flooding, than live in an affordable location that is dense with flood,” he said.
Udoh said the government needs to study the drainage system to know its shortcomings and must be ready to demolish properties that might need to be done away with for better drainage. He said: “The issue of multiple sand-filling and creation of new estates needs to be put on hold until
the government can undertake an environment impact analysis of these projects. Maintenance of the current drainage system must be undertaken with regular cleaning.”
In a chat, a renowned environmentalist, Dr Olusegun Omololu, a lecturer at the Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Akoka, described the incident as unfortunate. In the case of Lagos, he said the state government should adhere strictly to the city’s master plan, adding that its full implementation would provide a solution to all environmental problems in the state.
“Concerning the environmental analysis, the master plans provide drainage systems, which have not been fully dredged and properly followed,” he said, appealing to the Lagos State government to prioritize tackling flooding by creating more drains.
“Government should ensure that the drains, as stipulated in the master plans, are constructed,” he said. He urged residents to properly dispose of their wastes to avoid blockages in the drains which might possibly cause more flooding.
Mr Justice Nwala, a land surveyor, said: “Building without a plan and strategy is unprofessional and can be disastrous.”
He noted the government should take a second look at the Environmental Impact Assessment of most properties on the Island, adding that flooding is responsible for the collapse of many buildings as it weakens the foundation.
“Flooding is attributed to a combination of two events: very heavy local rainfall and the release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam in nearby Cameroon.
“The possibility of avoiding disastrous flood surges during rainy seasons has been adversely compromised. This is called pluvial flooding, and it will be the highest environmental blunder in Lagos, if a professional EIA was not carried out on road constructions in the state,” Nwala said.
Many residents have tasked the she state government to identify the cause of the flood and the challenges it is causing to humanity and take measures to address them.
Indeed, the growth and expansion of the city has been largely unregulated. Some houses are built close to the express road, with open gutters in front and on the septic tanks. This could also pose a health-threat to residents living in these areas, as the environmental conditions might not be healthy.