By JOY EMEH
Getting to Ajegunle in Ikorodu
area of Lagos, a woman who simply identified herself as Mama Seun was
seen scooping water that has taken over her room. The water which
covered the length of her bed and has other properties floating has
destroyed all the things that this middle aged woman has lived for.
Others were also seen walking
bare-footed across the flood turned river and gazing aimlessly at
their houses that have been swamped.
In Idi-Araba area of Surulere,
children were seen standing on top of their beds even as the grown-ups
engaged themselves in the effort scooping the water that has taken
over every where in the building.
Almost in every part of Lagos,
the story was the same as none ever told a different story about
flood.
As rainy season means a time of
refreshing to most Nigerians, a time when farmers anticipate a better
performance of their seedlings, it is a sad expirience for residents
of Lagos giving that any rainy day brings very difficult moments. It
is a period of terrible experiences and painful memories. It is a time
when Lagosians start putting up preparations, waiting for the rain.
While some buy rubber footwears to swim the flood on the roads, others
take their most important properties to their neighbours who live in
storied buildings, yet others try to build up the entrance of their
houses and some parents stop their children from going to school for
fear of being swept away by flood.
When it rains, many houses are swamped, properties are destroyed and
sometimes human lives are lost as the floods sweep away everything in
their path, leaving residents to recount their losses.
This year is no exception as
this annual problem came with a vengence. Just recently, the three
days heavy down pour in Lagos created an unforgettable experience for
many Lagosians.
Lagos which is on the verge of
becoming a mega-city had its socio-economic activities were paralyzed
and residential houses, public offices and business places were taken
over by flood in areas like Obalende, Ikoyi, Lekki, Orile, Surulere,
Bolade, Mushin, Oshodi, Ketu, and some parts of Ikorodu. Properties
were seen littered all over the places as houses were swamped.
Residents were also seen in the rain trying to recover what has been
carried away by flood. Public offices flooded, with their entrances
under lock and key as workers could not gain access to their offices.
Vehicles were not left out as a
good number of them broke down and got stuck in the flood.
Speaking on the flood in the
state, an environmentalist, Mr. Dele Ogunsanya said the state lies
below sea level and the flood is one of the results of the enormous
environmental damage, adding that indiscriminate draining has tilted
the balance in the ecosystem.
He said that a place like California, which though is below sea level,
does not witness annual flooding like Lagos.
He added that in California,
they built on the surface of water by using pillars, but what happens
here is that, we are doing a lot of reclaimation. "We have to dig out
sand from the sea to fill up the swampy areas," he added.
Ogunsanya said most of the lands
we have in Lagos today are sand-filled and it is difficult to find a
lasting solution to such threat giving that the people has forcefully
tampered with nature
He argued that in California for
example all the drainage systems they had provided, they have
considered the gradient of discharge of run-off water during rainfall
and melting snow. But that in our case, we have destroyed nature by
sand filling of low level areas to create land for building. And this
is done to the detriment of the environment and the people. He said
that the prevailing phenomenon is caused by the slow rate of
absorption of water into the ground due to the disruption in the
ecosystem and of the inappropriate manner in which the cities are
urbanised.
He advised that in planning, the
texture of the land should be considered to avoid the problem of when
rain falls, the velocity of the rain runs off to create problem
somewhere.
Dr. (Mrs.) Mabel Amosu of
Federal Ministry of Environment said the cause of flood in Lagos is
due to the habits of many residents who continually dispose their
wastes indiscriminately.
She said this form of waste disposal has gone a long way to block
waterways and as such, channeled the water to wrong places.
She insisted that dredging work
which is presently going on in the state has been sabotaged by
residents who after each round of operation, fill the places with all
kinds of waste.
She said that this habit
discourages the state government in its efforts to make the state what
it should be as most canals that have been dredged, including Ejigbo,
Orile, Shogunle, Obalende and others are now clogged by debris that
are yet to be evacuated.
She, said: "The efforts of the government should be complementary with
the residents making effort to have a healthy and conducive
environment. She added that each should be helping the other to
achieve the best for the state.
She called on residents to
desist from the habit of dumping solid waste in drainage channels as
this would go a long way in making Lagos flood-free.
However, the Lagos State
Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola recently explained that the melting
of the polar ice in the arctic region would generally lead to a rise
in water level and Lagos being a state situated below sea level may be
affected by heavy flooding that is associated with this.
He informed of the possibility
of unprecedented flooding in some areas of the state as a result of a
rise in sea level coupled with the rainy season.
He said as a result of this, the
drainage system so far put into place may not be able to cope
effectively until the water level abates, noting however that the
incident does not signify a failure on the part of government.
Governor Fashola added that as
the water level rises, recently constructed drainages will have to
wait for that water to go down before they can work, noting that in an
environment where tree planting is the culture, roots of such trees
are able to minimise the damage by acting as defence against the
flood.
Fashola, who said the period is expected last for about five months
also said that government is conscious of what is going on and is
offering sustainable solution to the problem.