Misery spreads as rain sacks Lagos residents

…Gives state govt huge assignment

Residents in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial and mega city, have been battling with flood following the recent torrential rain that left many families homeless for days.

Lagos, touted as a mega city and Centre of Excellence, has worn sombre looks in recent times no thanks to the torrential rains, particularly, that of Wednesday, June 26 and Wednesday, July 3, 2024.

The rains left people in misery and lamentation as many residents in Ikoyi, Lekki, Ago Palace, Amuwo-Odofin, Satellite Town, Ojo, Ikotun, Egbeda, Surulere and Iyana-Oba areas of Lagos were sacked from their residences.

The situation was such that the state government had to urge those whose areas were heavily impacted to make a temporary relocation.

Wednesday’s rain was not the first of its kind. There have been similar cases dating back to the 1990s where heavy rain and flood destroyed people’s homes, houses, properties and other things.

The protracted Lagos flood that occurs during rainy seasons has either defiled possible solutions or shown the State Government’s inability to tackle high levels of environmental degradation in Lagos.

Many residents on the other hand have been exhibiting high levels of environmental degradation and poor behavioural attitudes by dumping refuse or building houses on the right of way of canals and drainages.

This hinders free of water during the rainy season and results in floods.

Read also: Lamentations as flood disrupts business activities across Lagos

Residents lament the impact of flood

Pius Ufot, a Lagos-based businessman, told BusinessDay Sunday, that the rain in the early hours of Wednesday, June 26 nearly sent his family away from home as their two-bed apartment was taken over by water.

“The past two weeks have been traumatic for my family and me due to the heavy downpour that Lagos has been experiencing. Our apartment was submerged in water and our mattresses, shoes and clothing were all soaked,” Ufot said.

He said the rainwater also submerged and damaged the brain box of his Honda Civic, which he spent a lot of money to repair.

“We were trying to come out of the trauma of that first heavy downpour only for a heavier rain to pour on Tuesday, July 2 and worsen the situation. We baled water but the worst was that water was also coming out from the ground while others came in through the door,” said Ufot, who lives in the Egbeda area of Lagos.

According to him, his family had barely spent three months in the house, a new building they rented without knowing that rain would be their worst enemy.

Anthony Anamelechi, a retiree who resides in the Egbe-Idimu area of Lagos, said he has been battling to erect his fence that the rain of Wednesday, June 26 brought down.

He said the water submerged his three-bedroom bungalow and his family ended up bailing out water throughout the day.

“My family has not had sound sleep in the last week that our fence fell. The fallen fence left our house porous, which is why my wife and I are squeezing ourselves to raise funds to rebuild it.

“As we speak, I have spent over N500,000 to buy building materials to cast the fence raft alone. By estimate, I will need over N2 million to rebuild that section of my fence that fell, which is an unbudgeted expenditure in this hard time,” he said.

He said he is usually afraid anytime the weather changes or it starts raining because water overflows from the canal to submerge the drainage and street and even enter peoples’ homes including his house.

Chioma Uzodinma, another victim of the Lagos flood, said her house in Amuwo-Odofin was flooded during and after the rain in recent days.

She described raining season as a nightmare that forced her family out of their rented two-bedroom apartment in one of the estates in Amuwo-Odofin because water was coming out from the foundation into the apartment.

According to her, her family suffers a flooded house anytime it rains and that of Tuesday, July 2 left her family homeless for two days until after the flood dried up.

“We bailed water out of the house for two days and we had to move in with a family friend who gave us a hand. We lifted some properties to avoid being destroyed by water but our furniture and other things that we couldn’t move were soaked,” she said.

NiMET and State Government warnings

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Lagos State Government recently issued a flood warning for Lagos State.

They predicted that heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding in some areas in the state.

The areas prone to flooding include low-lying areas; coastal regions, and areas with poor drainage, an issue that is prevalent in almost all the areas in Lagos.

The state government however advised residents to take necessary precautions by staying informed about weather updates; avoiding travelling during heavy rainfall; keeping essential items ready in case of evacuation and staying away from flooded areas.

Lagos State Government however assured residents that emergency services would remain on alert to respond to any flooding incidents.

Meanwhile, Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner of Environment and Water Resources for Lagos State, has attributed the flooding around Olopo Meji inward 3rd Mainland to the intense and prolonged rainfall, combined with a high tidal level in the lagoon.

Tokunbo made this known on his X handle on Wednesday.

Wahab assured the public that the situation is temporary and will subside within 1-2 hours adding that as the tidal level recedes, the rainwater will be able to discharge into the lagoon, alleviating the flooding.

How residents contribute to flood

Some residents in the state are guilty of improper disposal of refuse in drainages, canals and rainy floods. This environmental menace ends up blocking the drainages and hinders the ease of water flow.

Just a few days ago, the Lagos State government sealed houses where the occupants were seen throwing waste in the flood after a heavy downpour in the state.

BusinessDay Sunday found out that the house was identified and sealed immediately by the Environmental Health Service Department of Ireland-Ikate LSDA.

Aside from improper waste disposal, residents build houses on the right of way of drainages and canals. This also contributes to flooding in the state.

Anthony Anamelechi said the Egbe Canal that is close to his house usually overflows any time it rains because it has not been dredged for a while.

According to him, the canal was recently commissioned for dredging by the State Government but some residents whose houses were situated along the right of way went to bribe the officials and that stalled the work to date.

State Government inaction

The failure of the government to clean the drainages contributes to blockage and flooding during the rainy season. In some areas, the government would drain sand and refuse from the gutters only to abandon them on the road and flood would take them back when it rains.

Collins Ekama, a Lagos-based civil servant, said most of the roads in Lagos have gone bad because of the rainy season.

According to him, the flood that covers the roads when it rains ends up spoiling the road, creating traffic gridlock, and delays and resulting in high transportation costs for commuters.

Most drainages are clogged with heaps of sand and refuse, and when the government manages to drain the gutter, the heap would be left on the road unattended for months.

Way forward

To reduce the rate flood during the rainy season, the government must clean drainages and gutters and also ensure that the drained sand as well as dirt are properly disposed of.

The government must be up and doing in ensuring that waste management authorities fulfil their obligations to eliminate the possibility of people dumping refuse on the streets and canals.

The state government also needs to strengthen its regulatory and institutional capacity to enforce proper town planning and environmental laws.