The Lagos State Government on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, called for calm over the flash flood caused by the torrential rainfall experienced throughout the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, made the plea in a statement in Lagos.
“Lagos has experienced about nine hours of non-stop rainfall since the early hours of Wednesday.
“This is coupled with the heavy rainfall which the state has been experiencing on a daily basis since the previous week resulting in the rise in level of the Lagos lagoon,” Wahab said.
He said the flash floods which inundated areas such as Iyana-Oworo linking the Third Mainland and several other areas would recede once the rains abate and the level of the lagoon reduces.
The commissioner added that the state had deployed officials of the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang to major black spots including Iyana-Oworo which had been cleared of all blockages.
Wahab urged all those in low lying areas to as a matter of necessity relocate to higher grounds at this period to safeguard lives and properties.
He urged residents to desist from wading through floods with their vehicles as it takes only a foot of flowing water with high tide to sweep away a vehicle irrespective of the number of occupants.
Wahab also urged all residents to avail themselves of daily weather reports as issued by the State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources as it serves as a guide to daily itinerary.
He noted that Lagos is a coastal city with almost one third of its landmass under water, as such necessitating a genuine reason for every resident to be more responsive to the state of the environment.
Wahab reiterated that the government on its part has embarked upon a yearlong maintenance and cleaning of all its secondary and primary collectors to be able to contain runoffs that may come from heavy rainfalls.
“Residents on their parts are expected to regularly clean and maintain the tertiary drains in front of their tenements and refrain from dumping refuse in the drains for the collective good of everyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works has directed the removal of silted drains along federal roads in the state with a view to curbing the flood on the highways.
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, made the disclosure in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
“Our teams are currently deployed to assess the situation while removing silted drains along the affected roads are currently being carried out,” Kesha said.
Kesha said that the ministry understood the inconvenience caused by these flash floods and was committed to eliminating the disruptions caused thereafter.
The controller clarified that, contrary to some reports, Lagos was not experiencing widespread submergence from floodwaters caused by the early morning heavy rainfall.
She noted, however, that the ministry acknowledged that localised flooding had affected certain sections of federal roads within the city, adding that necessary actions were being taken to arrest the situations.
