The perennial flooding in Lagos
THERE is need for a concerted effort to save Lagos from the flooding which for years, has threatened to submerge most parts of the state. What happened about two weeks ago when the state came to a virtual standstill, following heavy downpour that lasted several hours, has become an annual event.
As in the past even before his administration, Governor Bola Tinubu lamented the situation, having himself waded barefooted through flooded routes in Lagos Island. Considering, however, that the situation is manifestly degenerating and may soon assume a confounding dimension, all concerned persons and groups must go beyond mere rhetoric and do something more concrete. Both the Federal and Lagos State governments have key roles to play.
Since the rains and floods of mid-June, the attendant problems have not abated in many parts of the state. This is understandably because of the prevailing rainy season. Almost on a daily basis, Lagos residents are faced with flooded roads made impassable by blocked drainages, dilapidated roads and widespread environmental abuse. Where passage could be barely eked out, the vehicular traffic is heavy and many vehicles are grounded as their engines are usually stalled by water. People trek for kilometres and hours to reach their destinations while vehicle owners lose valuable man-hours.
Two weeks ago, thousands of people were uprooted from their residence and offices by flood; the affected areas included Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Ajah, Lekki, Amukoko, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Idi-Araba, Aguda, Ijeshatedo, Mafoluku, Ikotun, Somolu, Yaba, Bariga, Ipaja, Dopemu, Egbeda, Ogba, Agege, Ijaiye, Abule Egba and Gbagada. It was as if the whole state was about to go under. The remote and immediate causes of perennial flooding in Lagos include the absence of drainage facilities in many parts of the city, the blockage of drainage channels by dirt and uncleared refuse and the abuse of building regulations by individuals and corporate groups. The result is the nightmare that is experienced by Lagos residents.
To compound the problem is the undulating water level of the sea and ocean bordering the state. In the past, reclamation of the shorelines for development purposes has seen the waters being driven back, only to return periodically, posing real and present threat to buildings and businesses along the Marina. Experts and government officials are however in agreement that poor sanitary habit by residents, violation of planning regulation and inadequate maintenance of drainage channels are largely to blame. Alarmingly, the experts have also warned that the worst may not yet have happened, unless appropriate measures are quickly taken to tackle the problem.
Good enough, Governor Tinubu managed to assess the problem first-hand during his tour of affected areas. He discovered that in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi alone about 3,500 families were affected. The governor has called a meeting of relevant contractors to find a short-term solution. He has also threatened to ban the sale of "pure water" on the grounds that pure water sachets are often carelessly thrown into drainage channels.
In addition, the Lagos State government has embarked on the demolition of illegal structures, which may be responsible for the flooding. Unfortunately, an apparent battle for supremacy over Lagos roads, between the state and Federal Government is the immediate threat to whatever initiatives are being contemplated, for this has made meaningful dialogue between the state and federal authorities almost impossible.
While commending the Governor's efforts and concern, the state government should be told however, that nothing short of taking concrete steps to solve the problem will be of interest to the people of the state whose lives practically grind to a halt each time it rains. In spite of past cries against buildings erected on the run of drainage, no one has been sanctioned. It confirms a widely held view that those who violate building and planning regulations are so-called sacred cows who cannot be called to order.
Governor Tinubu should be ready to step on those supposedly sensitive toes if he is serious about eradicating flooding in Lagos. We appreciate the dilemma of the state government over recent bickerings it is having with the Federal Government. Governor Tinubu should address the problem with maturity, mindful of the interests of hapless masses of the state. The Minister of Works, Mr. Adeseye Ogunlewe should concentrate on making federal roads motorable and passable in both dry and rainy seasons, rather than dissipating energy needlessly on turf wars inside Lagos.
It is sad that in the last five years, the Federal Government has treated Lagos as just another of the 36 states. Considering its strategic value as the nation's commercial and financial capital, it deserves better consideration by the Federal Government. What happens often, is that the federal authorities prefer to play unwise politics where Lagos is concerned.
It is noteworthy that many of the roads taken over by flood during heavy rains in Lagos are federal roads. Often, there are no gutters to provide drainage on the roads while regular flooding soon renders the roads impassable even after the rains. The Federal Government should do something about this situation.
The people of Lagos State also have a role to play in preventing flooding. The least that they can do is to respect building regulations, and eschew habits which pose a threat to the environment. Persons who act otherwise, and their collaborators, no matter how highly placed, should be duly sanctioned. The care of the environment cannot be left entirely to government. Nor can it be left to the whims and caprices of the public. Nowhere in the world is that done with positive result.
