Residents
in flood-prone areas of Lagos State are crying out for government intervention
after heavy rainfall caused flash flooding.
The rains,
which started on Tuesday evening, persisted non-stop up to Thursday evening
causing damage to properties and stalling business activities.
In
Oworonshoki, Kosofe local government area, one resident, Towolawi Jamiu,
attributed the flooding to failure of leadership to forecast yearly flooding
events which can be avoided.
He said,
"The flooding in Oworonshoki and Bariga is also a result of the ongoing
sand filling of the wetland and lagoon by the third mainland bridge. A total of
about 40 hectares of wetland by the lagoon was heavy sand-filled for a purpose
unknown to the residence and was abandoned.
"This
sand effect is having a ripple effect on residential houses around the location
and Bariga waterside. About 250 houses are currently affected by this project.
Several residents have evacuated their homes to look for new abodes as a result
of the continuous flood."
He added
that the poor drainage network in the area was also contributing to the problem
of flooding occasioned by heavy rainfall.
"We
have only two natural drainage systems that help absorb and discharge water to
Lagos lagoon. One (1km) stretches from Ifako and empties into the lagoon. The
other is about 3km, stretches from Ifako bus stop and empties into Lagoon
through Iyana Oworo.
"The
natural drainage of about 3km, which acts as a secondary drainage system that
channels water to Lagos lagoon at both ends of Oworonshoki (Ifako and Oworo),
is usually filled with silt, waste and vegetation.
"More
than 60% of streets in Oworonshoki do not have a drainage system (gutter) in
front of their houses. Some of the gutters are not linked to the natural
drainage channels. So when it rains, the water flows back to the street,
thereby flooding the street, damaging the roads."
Jamiu
called on the Lagos State government to act fast by clearing gutters in the
area as well as using interlocking pacers when constructing roads in
flood-prone areas to reduce flood impact.
In Ikoyi,
many businesses asked workers to stay home due to inaccessible roads and heavy
traffic caused by flooding.
"This
morning, I got dressed to work and spent many hours in traffic moving from
Lagos Island to Awolowo road in Ikoyi. When I got to work, we were asked to go
back home and work from home because many people could not make it to work
because of the flood.
"Many
businesses did not open as well to avoid problems that come with the
flooding," Gideon Seyi, a communications professional, told
SaharaReporters on Thursday.
In Lekki,
floods seeped through an apartment building and caused roads to be
inaccessible.
"The
whole day is wasted, I cannot go anywhere. The last time something like this
happened was last year and I tried to navigate with my car, my engine packed
up. I am not willing to take that risk again.
"What
you are seeing is a product of poor planning. This is not the first time Lagos
is experiencing flood but what steps has the government taken? We are still
trying to reopen after the COVID-19 saga, how many Nigerians can afford to lose
their businesses to flood. The government should do better, especially on Lagos
Island, Lekki Ajah axis and I hope they act fast," said Olufemi Waithe, a
Lekki resident.
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