OndoReporter | Towards a flood-free Lagos

OndoReporter | Towards a flood-free Lagos

VERY soon, the rains will start pouring down.
In Lagos, the rainy season is dreaded. Being
an island surrounded by various bodies of
water from the Lagos lagoon to different
beaches scattered around the state, Lagos’
peculiar geographical status has far reaching
flooding implications on the metropolis. Its
topography which makes it essentially a low
lying terrain up to 0.4 percent below the sea
level is another critical issue. Naturally, this
brings about a huge flooding challenge.

However, in as much as flooding is a natural
phenomenon, some human activities aggravate
it. The common practice of building houses
near rivers and other bodies of water (i.e.,
within natural floodplains) has contributed to
the disastrous consequences of floods. In
Lagos State, the building of houses near rivers
and beaches is fast becoming a fad among the
elite. These edifices usually come in the way
of free flow of water bodies whenever there
are heavy downpours. These houses often
come with poor drainage channels connecting
them to the bigger canals and water channels.
It is a wonder why the appropriate authorities
allow this in the first place.

Similarly, poor and indiscriminate waste
disposal is a major cause of flooding in the
State. It is common sight to see people empty
huge sacks of wastes in the drainage
whenever it rains. And when such people are
accosted, the rain will flush them off is the
usually thoughtless response. In addition,
commuters in both private and commercial
vehicles litter the streets as they journey to
their various destinations. This garbage end up
in gutters and other drainage channels
Furthermore, despite the designation of the
last Saturday of every month as the general
environmental sanitation day in the State,
some residents still defy this directive by not
utilising this period appropriately.

And to make matters worse, some cart
pushers, illegal waste agent patronised by
some residents, dump the refuse they have
been paid to dispose off in canals and large
drainage channels. This act often results in
blockage of free flow of waste water, resulting
in flooding whenever it rains, irrespective of
the magnitude. This is often rampant in
markets and other commercial centres. If only
the perpetrators of these acts are aware of the
consequences of their action!
Often times, the effects of flooding on the
affected residents are unquantifiable and
devastating. The menace of flooding has
rendered many people homeless, while not a
few landlords have been stripped of their only
investments. Invariably, this has contributed
immensely to the upsurge in the level of social
problems in the society. There is an increase
in the army of the homeless, which has
resulted in overcrowding in houses, all in
attempts to play good neighbours and take
these people in.

Also, it is not uncommon to see some senior
citizens begging for alms to keep body and
soul together, when their only investments
have been destroyed by flooding.

Infrastructures such as roads are not spared
as a result of this menace of flooding. Many
roads have been destroyed and the affected
communities cut off from the rest of the state.
This has affected economic, academic and
social activities in these communities.

It is, therefore, important that both state and
local government authorities continually
enlighten the people about the enormity of the
dangers posed by flooding and the need for
them to stop every human induced action that
results into flooding. The management of the
Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA,
especially, should step up efforts to extend
their services to the nooks and crannies of the
state. This way, no one would have any
rationale to engage in environmentally
unfriendly activities.

As we prepare for the rainy season, all hands
must be on deck to ensure that all human
induced actions that promote flooding are
discontinued.

Consequently, NGOs, Community Development
Associations, the media, members of the Civil
Society and all well meaning individuals and
groups in the state should endorse attitudinal
change towards the environment.

The struggle between man and nature has
always been a protracted one. But it is certain
that nature cannot conquer the resolve of a
determined and united people whenever man
decides to subdue nature and enforce
dominion over the earth. All we need to do is
to appreciate the value of preparedness and
prevention of disaster rather than wait for the
problem before taking action. While it is
possible to blame government for poor health
facilities, pitiable educational condition and
weak infrastructure, tackling natural
occurrences such as climate change challenge
and flooding should be a collective
responsibility that involves every segment of
the society.


Mr. Adenike Ademola, an environmental
protection campaigner, wrote from Lagos