Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands

The Rains are Here

The rains are here. This means Lagos, the country’s most populous state and economic nerve centre, is again under the floods.

When the heavens opened up on Sunday, June 18, many parts of the sprawling metropolis were flooded.

Elite areas like Ikoyi, middle class suburb like Surulere and the heavily populated areas like Mushin and Badia were under water. Highways essential for the running of the country’s economy like Ikorodu Road, Western Avenue and those in the ports area of Apapa yielded ground to the floods. Live-saving centres like the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) also became inaccessible.

So heavy were the rains that some Lagosians became internally displaced people as the floods sacked them from their homes while structures and cars were also damaged.

All these devastations took place in one day after some hours of rainfall. The sad aspect of it all is that flooding has become a permanent feature of Lagos life. In other words, the country loses a lot of revenue, man-hours and property to the Lagos rains yearly.

Some times, lives are also lost.

Given Lagos State’s central position to the country’s economic well-being and its density, the situation requires urgent government action. The problem of flooding in Lagos is basically the lack of drainage on roads and the blockade of existing drainage channels either by dirt or by unscrupulous people who construct houses on such channels.

We support the Lagos State Government’s declared efforts to solve the problem, and ask it to take on the challenge headlong.

Given the enormous resources required, we also call on the Federal Government to come to the state government’s assistance to make Lagos a flood-free state.

Vanguard - 26 June 2000