Lagos State government has called for synergy between local councils to tackle flood issues in the state.
The State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said such synergy is required to sensitise residents on drainage blockages, dumping of waste into canals and other unauthorised places.
He allayed the fears of residents along the Ogun-Osun river bank, following reports of flooding experienced in these affected areas, with the assurance of the state’s preparedness to contain any eventuality that may arise with the intensity of the flow of the run-off water from upland into Lagos.
Wahab, who sympathised with affected residents, noted the concerns and anxieties that many people have expressed with a guarantee that the government is fully capable of managing the flooding situation and its consequences.
According to him, from the statistics issued by the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, the total amount of rainfall recorded from January to October 15 of 2023 indicates that most of the expected rainfall in the area has fallen.
Wahab said the height of the Oyan Dam reservoir has significantly dropped from 3.67m on the October 6 to 1.02m on the October 14, adding that this is in addition to 203.4mm of rainfall in July, 174.9mm in August, 362.6mm of rainfall in September and 170.8mm in October 2023.
He said what was being experienced in Lagos presently is as a result of the residual water in the catchment of Ogun River, which will recede with time and the rise in sea level has also reduced the inflow into the lagoon.
He added that the government has been responsive to the situation with the step up of its multifaceted approach to mitigate the effects of the flooding.
The commissioner said the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang (EFAG) under the Drainage Maintenance Department of the Ministry is working consistently on black spots and intervention of some critical tertiary drains to enable them discharge efficiently and act as retention basins. He added that the state remained committed to an all-year-round drainage maintenance, reclaiming drainage Right of Way, ensuring that the waterways are clean.
“It will also ensure dredging of primary and secondary channel /collectors in the State, expansion of existing drainage channels to contain more storm water as well as the appointment of Resident Engineers/Drainage Maintenance Officers to oversee drainage matters in all the Local Councils/ Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) and report any additional unforeseen weather conditions.
“We recognise the need for better collaboration with the management of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) to manage the release of water from the dam more effectively.
“We must also strike a balance between the needs for water management and the safety of our communities. Our State, being low-lying, is at risk of coastal flooding. We are fully aware of this vulnerability and we are working diligently to adapt well to it,” he said.
Also, the Special Adviser on Environment, Mr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu said the effort to contain flood remains the responsibility of all, while enjoining Lagosians to collaborate with government by cleaning the drainages in their frontages and desisting from Indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised places.
He further urged Lagosians to report all cases of drainage blockages, dumping of waste into canals and other unauthorised places to resident engineers, saying by doing so, they are complementing government’s efforts so that consolidations can be made on the gains already made in the 2023 rainy season.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary Office of Drainage Services, Lekan Shodeinde, said the affected areas along Ogun Osun river are known to be depressed and on the natural path of the storm water, adding that with the various intervention being put in place residents in the area are assured that in a matter of days the water will recede.
He said due to urbanisation and human alteration, the natural flow of rain water as designed by God has been changed, saying if not altered some amount of rainfall should drop on green vegetation and some absorbed into the ground while about 30 percent of rain water should end up in the drains eventually.
