By Bisola Adeyemo
In view of heavy rainfall and flash flood prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMeT), Lagos state residents have been urged to support government effort through regular cleaning of the drains in front of their houses and shun the habit of indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, said this on the on Thursday in preparedness for heavy rainfalls, which resume in September, and the release of water from the Oyan Dam.
Recall that the agency on Tuesday revealed moderate to heavy rainfall which could lead to flash floods across 32 states in the country.
Vanguard quoted him as saying “A practical demonstration of our preparedness was the over 10 hours rainfall experienced in Lagos on July 19, which resulted in flooding that submerged some houses and vehicles, especially in Marina, but which had disappeared the next morning, which was some eight to 10 hours after.”
He said: “We are stepping up the dredging and cleaning of all our channels and would also use the opportunity to once again put the residents of low-lying areas to be at alert and be ready to move when the rain of unusual intensity falls.
“All residents of the listed areas ;Agiliti, Ajegunle, Isheri North, Owode, Iwaya, Makoko, Badia, Ijora, Isaalu, Pota and Shibiri among others must be at alert to relocate to higher grounds to save their lives and property when water is released by Oyan Dam authorities. For such people, they can always return to their abode when the water subsides.
“Let me give an assurance to all residents that the proactive stance of the Ministry has always been “Be ready always”. We have always treated the nine months of March to November as peak months of rainfall in our preparations. That is why we can never be caught napping.
“Such occurrences also cause backflows, resulting in flooding. But as soon as the Lagoon recedes, all the generated stormwater run-off will immediately discharge and our roads will be free of the flash flood.”