Crime News
Lagosians Battle Extreme Flooding: Houses In VI, Lekki, Ikoyi & Ajah Submerged, Residents Flee
July 8, 2017 – Lagosians Battle Extreme Flooding After Heavy Rainfall: Houses In VI, Lekki, Ikoyi & Ajah Submerged In Flood, Residents Forced To Vacate Homes
Lagos state government has urged resident to exercise caution as flood takes over several areas of the state after an heavy rainfall that lasted for hours.
Lagos Island, Ikoyi, Lekki and Ajah areas were worst hit as many streets and houses were submerged in the flood.
While assuring the general public of the heavy deployment of environmental sanitation officers and emergency rescue teams, especially in flood-prone areas of the State, the government urged residents to stay indoors, either at home or in their places of work, whenever there is heavy downpour, except when the need to commute becomes necessary.
Warning that heavy downpour is expected for a few more weeks, the government solicits the support of citizens to desist from dumping refuse in the canals and gutters and observe safe and hygienic conducts at all times in order to reduce the effect of temporary flooding being recorded in some areas.
The government also urged residents to make use of emergency numbers in case of dire situations.
An unprecedented flood took over the entire Ahmadu Bello way in Victoria Island, forcing some residents and commercial offices to unceremoniously vacate their premises.
The Lagos State Police Command has temporarily closed the road for human and vehicular movements due to threat by heavy flood.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island, Lagos has been flooded due to continuous down pour experienced in the state since three days ago.
The command’s spokesman, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, told NAN that the second link-road to the Island coming from Lagos mainland was unsafe for motorists.
Famous-Cole said that the down pour in the state has caused flood making other roads on the Island unsafe.
He said that the flood has caused traffic gridlock in parts of Victoria Island and its environs and advised motorist plying Ahmadu Bello Way and other areas prone to flood to take alternative routes approved by traffic officials.
“The flood in the area has caused us to temporarily block Ahmadu Bello Way for safety of motorists.
“We want the public to know that the relevant traffic and security agencies are on ground to flush out the drains and secure road users in the state,’’ Famous-Cole said.
Mr Mahmud Hassan, the Public Affairs Officer, Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), told NAN that their men have been on ground since morning ensuring that road users use alternative routes provided.
He said that the flood has caused hardship to road users and people living in the area.
Mr Tosin Olalere, who resides at Abraham Adesanya Estate near Victoria Island, told NAN that he has been in his house since Wednesday due to the continuous rain.
“There has been no vehicular movements since Wednesday July 5, till now.
“People in my community have resulted to trekking or using canoe to move about.
“Some people have even started moving out of the community because of the flood which destroyed their properties,’’ Olalere said.
Similarly, some soldiers, who are residing in the Bonny Cantonment, told NAN that a significant number of residents have been forced to vacate their homes.
Some passengers in a commercial bus from mainland to Island in Lagos also complained of outrageous amount they paid to get to Victoria Island due to the flood on Ahmadu Bello Way.
A student, who declined to give her name, said she spent over four hours in traffic from Oshodi to Ajah because of the flood.
She said she and other passengers paid N1000 from Oshodi to Ajah instead of the N400 being paid on a regular day.
“People were even rushing to board the bus despite the crazy increase in the fare,’’ she said.
Another passenger who simply gave her name as Obianuju, said she tried to avoid paying N1000 to Ajah from Oshodi, however boarded a bus to Obalende for N250 from Oshodi only to find out that the fare from Obalende to Ajah had also skyrocketed.
Obianuju said: “I paid N250 from Oshodi to Obalande in order not to pay N1000, only to get there and the drivers were charging N700 from Obalande to Ajah. It was really annoying.’’
See photos of flooded area of the sunshine state below
VGC
Banana Island
Lekki
Ajegunle
Victoria Island
VGC
(NAN)
Andrew Amadi
July 8, 2017 at 10:53 PM
This is a really serious disaster how can people who have houses become a ternant again. I rebuke that from our lives…before acquiring land be very observant to avoid area prone to flood
Danti
July 9, 2017 at 5:13 AM
Normal occurrence nowadays worldwide, but bigger drainage system can help soften the problem. I think it is safe to say that; when the rate of evaporation is too rapid in few days, thus, making the atmosphere severely unstable the end result will be the rain that we should get in 2 weeks will come down in few hours. How can any water way survive that?
ayobami
July 9, 2017 at 8:57 AM
sincerely to be kind more of dem knw dat those area is flood area but bcos dey want to leave lekki dey ignore it may God help dem as for me I can’t stay in those area never no drainage so were dey want d flood to go
Mon
July 9, 2017 at 10:23 AM
This is a global problem this days, though my concern with Nigeria own is the way we litter dirt (plastic products) will make ours worse,it will blocked all the drainage system making it hard to dry up so easily.
Grace
July 9, 2017 at 9:14 PM
Monday you are very correct. Our Nigerians are the main cause of this flooding. they throw plastic bottles stuff rubbish anyhow in drains and their own drains at home. Sanitary towels old clothes all their rubbish goes in drains just imagine. How can flood be avoided if people turn to behave in that way. am sorry to say but they are suffering for what they caused.
Federal govt will do all their best to employ these foreign companies to build good roads with good nice drains within a month these drains are blocked. The federal govt is also not helping matters by imposing certain rules. If caught throwing rubbish in drains heavy fines. No one has imposed these rules as such Nigeria will always suffer to huge floods.
Esien
July 10, 2017 at 12:35 AM
What do we expect when virtually every compound is covered with interlocking pavements or concrete such that rain water no longer percolates into the ground but is channeled into drains that are not designed for and cannot cope with the increased volume of water?
Our blind actions in the name of ‘modernity’ will one day cost us dearly. This is just a warning!
Jilo
July 10, 2017 at 2:56 PM
Esien, from your comment it seems you have a good knowledge about Civil Engineering or have Engineering background. What most of the Builders and Developers in bNigeria do not understand about housing development is they never take their time to do some study about future effect of newly constructed houses around the flood plain area.
Before developing some of these area, the Real Estate developers suppose to come up first, with Stormwater Management Plan that can prevent a flash flood like this one but we are more concern about making money. We don’t care about aftermath in as much we can benefit monetarily. The same reason is what is affecting us in our inability to provide good governance for ourselves. In some developed Countries, they do have their houses built in the flood plain area and there is no flood disasters even after some heavy rain. Just as Essien has mentioned, we don’t really understand importance of planting grasses in our homes. Instead of having a Concrete or Interlock floor, planting grasses is more effective and best option for the homeowners. In a grassland environment, the grass can hold more cubic of volumes of rain water that we least expect and this play a significant role in preventing flood.
In addition to this, the developers should have constructed a big drainage system to channel and divert the stormwater back to the creek. This should have been done 5 years before the development of Lekki, Ajah and other flood prone area. We Africans lack foresight and that is what is affecting us economically, politically and socially. We will continue to be the loser if we fail to sit down to do proper study before we embark on most of our projects.
oby
July 11, 2017 at 3:54 PM
why would lagos not get flooded when the sand fill the ocean God created. instead of them to use the billions of naira to repaid all the roads in lagos, they choose to use it against God’s creation, lets see how it goes. this is just the beginning.