Story from Kenneth AFOR, Lagos
The Lagos State Government on Sunday has reminded its residents living close to the banks of Ogun River to be alerted as more water will be released from Oyam Dam this month.
The expected flooding predicted by the Nigerian Hydrological Services could add more water to the dam while it is being released.
According to the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello in a statement, residents living in Agboyi -Ketu, Owode Onirin, Isheri, Ajegunle, Agiliti, Kara, Majidun, and all areas bothering the rivers and the sea in Lagos are being flagged as high-risk areas.
The commissioner said Lagos could witness a narrative of how some members of Kogi State House of Assembly and their families were sacked out of their quarters located along the Ganaja Road in Lokoja by floods.
Bello disclosed that about 23 million cubic meters of water would be released this month from the Oyan dam in neighbouring Ogun State hinting that residents in affected areas might experience some level of discomfort when the gradual release of close to 11 million cubic metres of water will be released.
“For a coastal city like Lagos, let me remind everyone that once it rains consistently for a minimum of eight hours, we are bound to have flash floods caused by the increasing inability of effective discharge into the lagoon which is brought about by a rise of the ocean level.
“This will automatically lock up all our drainages and until the water level goes down, the drainages would be unable to discharge.
“Flash flood is not peculiar to Lagos. It is the new wave in most coastal cities around the world, including those who have adopted the best of technological advancements to curtail flooding it.
“Lagos is at the receiving end of three types, coastal, urban and river flooding because of the peculiarity of its location,” the commissioner said.
While residents brace for the impact of the flood, the commissioner noted that the state government is intensifying efforts to minimise the effects of the rains on lives and properties adding that the government is close to the completion of all the secondary and primary water channels in the state.
Lagosians were urged not to dump refuse in drainage channels as the government has deployed the Emergency Flood Abatement Gangs (EFAG) to undertake quick fix to free manholes or clogged up drains manually.
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