Some communities in Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial capital, were flooded on Monday after marathon rainfall that started Sunday night and thundered on, uninterrupted till Monday evening.
Viral videos showed submerged houses and vehicles in Ijede in the Ikorodu area of the state. Coastal and flood-prone areas like Lekki, parts of Eti-Osa, Ajegunle, Agege, Surulere, and Alimosho local governments weren’t spared as residents delicately navigated pool-like streets and roads, which overflowed from clogged drainage channels and canals.
The environmental situation paralysed trade and economic activities in the nation’s commercial hub as residents took to their social media handles to cry for help.
Movement was also hampered as motorists avoided flooded roads to avoid their vehicles being submerged.
Similarly, floods submerged some communities in Niger State after heavy rainfall poured on communities and washed away farmlands in the Lapai, Paikoro and Mokwa Local Government Areas of the state. Last week, a flood submerged communities in eight communities in Adamawa State, in Nigeria’s North-East geopolitical zone.
Lagos Govt Sues For Calm
In a statement on Monday, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, acknowledged the pain of Lagosians with an assurance that the state has put in place resilient infrastructure to combat flash flooding.
According to the commissioner, a new weather advisory from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency on Monday warned of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms for the next three days.
He said, “Some parts of the state may experience flash flooding because of the inability of the major collectors not being able to contain the run-off resulting from the very heavy rainfalls.”
He stressed that the peculiar nature of Lagos as a coastal city and the effect of climate change make it susceptible to vagaries of flash flooding, asking residents not to panic.
Wahab urged parents and guardians to exercise vigilance over their wards during the holiday period and cautioned against children playing outside during this delicate period.
He warned residents not to engage in disposing of their refuse into the drains as the rains fall, warning that there are consequences for such acts and the refuse will end up blocking the drains and causing flash floods.
Wahab said the state would intensify the year-round cleaning and maintenance of all drainage channels to contain runoff from rainfalls.
