Nigeria is an extremely lucky country. Maybe not so lucky but when compared to other countries, one cannot help but feel that there is a divine power working hard enough to ensure that this country does not entirely descend into a scale of maximum rot.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and millions of Nigerians have in the past week commiserated with the people of Derna in Libya where heavy rains, alongside breached dams has resulted in the death of over 10,000 persons.
Could the Derna incident have been prevented? Maybe No. Could the fatalities have been extremely minimal? Yes.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in the wake of the incident, admitted that most of the thousands of deaths in Libya’s flood disaster could have been averted had there been adequate early warning and emergency management systems.
“If they would have been a normally operating meteorological service, they could have issued a warning,” he said.
“The emergency management authorities would have been able to carry out evacuation of the people. And we could have avoided most of the human casualties.”
As Usual, Lagos welcomed daily downpours in the past week, leading to massive floods.
On the Island, which is considered the highbrow part of Lagos, I recall car tyres rendered invisible as they were swallowed up by water.
On social media, as you’ll see in the pieces attached, Lagos managed to survive varying degrees of disaster when you consider the height of the water in most areas.
This is not to say that this situation is peculiar to Lagos.
Without undermining our previous losses, Floods in Nigeria killed at least 300 people this year and the situation was projected to worsen due to heavy rainfall and the effects of excess water from a dam in Cameroon that will affect 14 Nigerian states in thr Northern parts of Nigeria.
Back to Lagos, there’s no doubt that it is a city that is prone to flooding due to a variety of factors, including urbanization, deforestation, and climate change.
The city’s location on the coast also makes it vulnerable to storm surges and rising sea levels. In addition, Lagos is built on a low-lying coastal plain, which means that it is susceptible to flooding during heavy rainfall.
It is not the first time Lagos is experiencing floods but there appears to be a reckless abandon of the entire situation, perhaps, until there’s a loss of lives.
In truth, the Usual floods forms pary of what makes Lagos, one of the worst cities to live in and not a Mega City.
Unlike the seriousness, currently displayed by the Lagos State Government, Governor Sanwo-Olu needs to quickly and strategically address this issue before comes to be addressed as the ‘Flood Incident Commander’.
The Lagos State Government needs to urgently review the State’s Master plan and begin to enforce it. Governor Sanwo-Olu must now ensure that it enforces building codes that require buildings to be constructed in a way that is resistant to flooding and in a way in which it would not block water channels.
Also, the State Government needs to invest in infrastructure such as drainage systems, canals, and flood barriers to manage floodwater and prevent it from causing damage to buildings and infrastructure.
The Government must also begin to fine landlords or building managers who do not consider the construction of drainages when setting up the structure.
Another important measure to address the issue of flooding in Lagos, Nigeria is to improve waste management.
It is a shame seeing piles of dirt line the median on varying parts of the mainland and even, Lekki up to Ajah axis.
Poor waste management practices such as dumping waste in drainage channels and waterways can exacerbate the problem of flooding. When drainage channels and waterways are blocked with waste, rainwater cannot flow freely, leading to flooding in the surrounding areas.
By improving waste management practices, the Sanwo-Olu administration can help to reduce the risk of flooding and protect the lives and property of residents.
Not just Lagos, but several other State Government’s who suffered the consequences of heavy flooding in the past year must now learn urgent lessons from Derna, instead of failing to the right thing and quickly roll out condolence messages instead.
