The Nation Newspaper

Tag: flood

  • Flood: Lagos to demolish properties blocking drainage

    Flood: Lagos to demolish properties blocking drainage

    The Lagos State Government yesterday ordered owners of properties blocking drainage channels to remove them or have the demolished.

    In a statement yesterday, the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, said the lawless activities of some people were constantly putting the lives and properties of residents at risk.

    Some areas where properties are erected on drainage channels include Illubirin, Dolphin Estate, Osborne Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Osapa London, Ikota, Ogombo, Lekki. The commissioner said investment of public funds in drainage clearing and de-silting was being compromised by such structures.

    The government, he said, was concerned that man-made causes, particularly the impediment of free-flow of storm water through indiscriminate erection of buildings on drainage alignments/ right of way and water courses, played a major role in the recent flooding in the state.

    “Therefore, it is now of paramount importance that owners of buildings or structures impeding the free-flow of storm water, wherever they exist in the state, are advised to voluntarily quit forthwith in the overriding public interest or risk being removed by the government. No responsible government will allow the interest of a few to jeopardise the wellness and wellbeing of the generality of its people.

    “In view of the grievous consequences of compromising drainage right of way and alignment, Lagosians are hereby warned to henceforth refrain from this illegal act, report perpetrators and cooperate with the Lagos State Government in its bid to achieve a flood-free, clean and livable state,” Adejare said.

    The government, he said, has resolved to re-establish the right of way of drainage infrastructure across the state to stem the tide of flooding.

    The commissioner said the decision became necessary to enhance the ability of the drainage channels to effectively discharge storm water into the rivers, lagoon and other water bodies and relieve Lagosians of the incidence of flood.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, Lagosians are once again reminded that the right of way for primary unlined (without concrete) channel is 25 meters and 15 meters for primary lined (with concrete) channel, while the right of way for secondary/connector channel is seven meters. The right of way for tertiary channel is three meters from the fence of the house.

    “Primary channels such as canals are those emptying directly into the river, lagoons and other water bodies, while secondary/connector channels connect water from channels in the frontage of the house (tertiary channels) to the primary channel,” he said.

  • Flood hinders voting

    An early morning downpour in parts of Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos state left electoral officials and voters in yesterday’s local government election stranded. Some residents were trapped in their homes as a result of flood. One of the areas affected by the flood was Oyadiran Estate in Sabo, Yaba.

    Although voting process was supposed to commence at 7am, officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) were not seen in most of the polling units around the area as of 8:30am. The exercise was yet to commence in different parts of the state as at that time. Many voters in Igbe road area of Ikorodu Local Government were also prevented from going out to vote by the flood that followed the early morning rain.

  • Flood: Eko Disco restores electricity to Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi

    The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has restored electricity to Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi which were flooded on July 8.

    EKEDC’s injection substations and equipment were submerged by the flood.

    The firm’s General Manager, Corporate Communications Unit, Mr Godwin Idomudia in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, praised customers for their patience and understanding during the blackout.

    He urged them to be safety conscious and avoid touching electrical appliances with wet hands.

    Idemudia also advised them to always call the attention of professionals to electrical fault in their households or areas of residence.

    “Residents should be careful not to touch our equipment and poles during flood.

    “Whenever you noticed that our poles are on the ground, the first thing you should do is to stay away and call the attention of nearest EKEDC station to it,’’ Idemudia said

  • Flood of Noah?

    •With global warming and rising sea level, incidence of flooding is becoming more serious. Governments must devise a counter-strategy

    To the grimly humorous, The Rich Also Cry, a popular Mexican soap that was once a hit with the Lagos of terrestrial television, came to mind as floods, no thanks to 10 days of pummelling rain, turned Lagos into some gurgling waves, awaiting Noah’s ark.

    Admiralty Way, in highbrow Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, was virtually under water. Yet, there was no admiral, against nature, to take command! That led to flooded apartments, and plush cars, which days ago were nestling in neat compounds, found themselves submerged in flood.

    The whole of the Lekki stretch, from some pictures, appeared buried under water. The once smooth and glittering facility became a huge water way, marked by the carcases of trapped cars.

    The Ozumba Mbadiwe end of the road, in the vicinity of 1004 flats, Civic Centre, Civil Towers and Law School end, was also submerged. So was the ultra-high brow Banana Island, off Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi.

    If the most tony part of Lagos was that devastated, you could imagine the state in the rest of the city. It was flood, flood and flood everywhere, with the torrential rain doing grave damage to motorways and extracting great costs in traffic time, auto repair and psychological siege.

    A case in point is the Berliett section of the Mile 2-Oshodi Expressway. That segment, fixed less than two years ago, is now home to huge craters, no thanks to this torrential downpour.

    From Suleija, near Abuja the federal capital, also came a report of some family members dying from the over-flooding of their shacks. That painted the old, grim picture of the defunct Maroko and Ilado, in Lagos, two dirt-poor communities, which have now given way to glittering apartments in this same Lekki sector of Lagos, stylishly dubbed “Island”.

    Still, it would appear a global plague, if a report coming in from China is anything to go by. The news talks of a five-storey building in Tibet giving way, no thanks to the irresistible push of gurgling flood. A heavy truck, reportedly abandoned by its driver in panic, was also washed away.

    From what we are seeing here, added to news from abroad, torrential rain flooding is assuming a clear and present danger, which needs a sound counter-strategy. That is the challenge before the government now, and that strategy ought to go to the very basics.

    To start with, there must be strict implementation of environmental impact assessment tests, before developing new residential and other estates, particularly in Lekki and other parts of Lagos believed somewhat to be below the sea level. This is with a view to applying the good, old dictum: prevention is better than cure. It is no use developing multi-million Naira glittering estate, which only reverts to the squalor of Maroko, anytime there is sustained torrential pour.

    There is also the imperative for an effective and efficient central draining system, such that even if there was some flash-flooding, it would drain in no time. Such a drainage system is needed for Lekki and other areas prone to flooding.

    Then, there is absolute need for constant dredging and clearing of drains. This should go hand-in-hand with massive sensitisation campaigns, complete with instant and stiff sanctions for environmental crimes. It is still something of a scandal that almost every day, rubbish comes hurtling out of moving cars, on Lagos roads! This practice is endemic because there appears to be no sanctions against it. These little bits of refuse find their way into public drains, clog up the gutters and lead to avoidable flooding when it rains.

    Then, de-silting. Lagos State has always done constant de-silting of drains. What it does not always do is immediately clear the silts, which are then pushed back to the gutters, whether by wind or the next rains. That should be corrected.

    The globe might be bracing itself towards a flood emergency; and the governments should put in place a winning strategy over that challenge. But citizens too must develop coping strategies in improved personal behaviour in environmental safety.

  • 10 persons feared dead in Suleja flood

    About ten residents of Suleja, Niger State are missing and feared dead due to the heavy downpour and flood that started in the early hours of Sunday.

    The heavy rainfall lasted till about 9:30 a.m on Sunday morning.

    There was hardly any community in Suleja that was not affected by the adverse effects of the rain.

    But the worst-hit areas included Kaduna road through, Bakin-Iku, Chanchania and Yaro College area, Kantoma area, Kuspa, Angwa Gwari, and Angwa Juma.

    Some buildgings collapsed during the heavy downpour, resulting in the death of some residents while many sustained different degree of injuries.

    Some residents who tried to leave their submerged homes for safety were swept away by the flood.

    Cars and vehicles parked on the water ways were also not spared as they were moved from their original positions.

    A resident of Bakin-Iku, Sani Gamko said “Many houses were affected by the flood. Some completely collapsed while only parts of some buildings collapsed.

    “I know of nine persons who were carried away by the flood and likely dead in Bakin-Iku community alone.

    “The local government chairman and some NEMA officials have already visited the community to carry out on the spot assessment,” he added.

    At the General Hospital in Suleja, a nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity said that no dead body was brought to the hospital as a result of the rainfall.

    Only two injured patients from the rainfall, she said, were brought to the hospital.

    According to her, one of them is at the emergency ward.

    A Search and Rescue Officer of NEMA, Egrigba Micheal, who spoke to The Nation, said that the agency was able to rescue a victim who has been rushed to the Suleja General Hospital.

    He said: “We got a call from our zonal coordinator, Mohammed Idris that there was a flood in Suleja. So we quickly moved to Suleja. We have seen a lot of devastation the rain has caused. Many of the houses were submerged while some were completely rooted out. Many properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed.

    “There was one house that had eight people completely dead although we didn’t see their corpse.

    “In a family of eight, only one person was rescued dead. But the other seven are still missing.

    “We will go back to write our report and submit to our boss. Certainly tomorrow they will come back and do another assessment before there can be any relief. The rain was really devastating,” he said.

    Also speaking to The Nation, the Chairman of Suleja Local Government Area, Abdullahi Maje, said that about 10 persons have been declared missing since the flood took place.

    He said: “The flood I think started around 12 midnight till this morning and affected more than 100 houses around Suleja local Government Area apart from Tafa local Government Area.

    “There are about 10 missing persons within Suleja that the flood took away. Three bodies have been found, we are still searching for the remaining persons dead or alive.

    “We have made a call to the Federal government through NEMA. They responded quickly and came to Suleja and also the State management agency came in from Minna this morning,” he said.

    Stressing that the rainfall was an act of God, he promised that everything will be done to forestall future damages to lives and properties

  • Flood: Eko Disco announces power cut in Ikoyi, Victoria Island

    Flood: Eko Disco announces power cut in Ikoyi, Victoria Island

    The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) on Sunday announced that there would be power outage in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and its environs as the company’s injection substations and equipment submerged in the flood.

    Mr Godwin Idemudia, General Manager, Corporate Communications, EKEDC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the company was having challenges in almost all its injection substations as a result of the flood from heavy rains on Saturday.

    According to Idemudia, some of EKEDC transformers in the areas have been submerged.

    The general manager said that the management of the company had directed that transmission be ‘deloaded’ in the affected areas for safety.

    He said that the injection substations affected by the flood included Lekki Transmission Station, Agungi , Lekki, Ademola and Anifowoshe.

    “Victoria Garden City, Water Front, Maroko and Oniru Injection Stations are completely out.

    “We need to look at the extent of the effect of the flood on our equipment.

    “However, we are presently working round the clock to restore supply to our esteemed customers,” he said.

    Idemudia appealed to the customers to show understanding over the inconvenience the outage had caused. (NAN)

  • Massive flood in Lagos, govt urges residents to stay indoors

    Massive flood in Lagos, govt urges residents to stay indoors

    Following the flooding of many parts of the state on Saturday after rainfall that lasted for hours, the state government has called on residents to observe extreme caution on the roads.

    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.’’ (NAN)

  • Lagos community hit with flooding

    Lagos community hit with flooding

    Some Lagos communities have called out to the State government for rescue as flood locks many indigenes indoor as a result of downpour which lasted for several hours.

    According to the residents, the flood is so massive and they are unable to leave their communities for their places of work.

    Most of the affected communities are on the Lagos Island like the Lekki Conservation Centre Area, along Lekki- Aja Highway, Lagos.

  • Flood sweeps away Okada rider, bike in Ekiti

    Flood sweeps away Okada rider, bike in Ekiti

    •Body deposited at teaching hospital’s morgue

    A downpour on Monday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, swept away a commercial motorcycle (Okada) operator, Victor Ajeniyi, and his motorcycle.

    The flood destroyed property and sacked residents of Basiri, Nova Road, Afao Road and Adebayo from their homes.

    Ajeniyi was said to have attempted to force his way through the raging water, which overflowed the bridge on Elemi River along Iworoko Road, near Ayemi Motor Park.

    The body of the deceased was found yesterday by a search party deployed by Police Commissioner Abdullahi Chafe after combing the river bank for several hours.

    The Okada man reportedly lost grip of the bike and, in his attempt to rescue it from the flood, got overpowered by the raging water.

    He was said to have defied the warning of the two passengers he was conveying.

    His passengers reportedly wanted to disembark, but he was said to have insisted on continuing the ride.

    An eyewitness said: “But while trying to cross, he lost control at the Elémi Channel at Ayemi Motor Park area of Adebayo. He ignored the entreaties and admonitions from motorists and other commercial motorcyclists, who could not cross the channel but waited for the water to recede.

    “He had two passengers and they decided not to go with him. But he insisted that he had the knowledge of the way and how best to wade through the water.

    “When he lost control and the water began taking away his bike, he tried to rescue the bike. Along the line, he fell. The onlookers were helpless when he lost control. They watched helplessly from afar as he was overwhelmed by the flood.”

    Police spokesperson Alberto Adeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said: “It was an unfortunate incident because it could have been averted, if he had taken precautions.

    “We have identified him and his body has been taken to the morgue at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti.”

     

  • Ogun govt to residents: Vacate areas near Ogun River, others

    Ogun govt to residents: Vacate areas near Ogun River, others

    Ogun State government on Wednesday warned residents living near Ogun River and other flood planes to vacate immediately to safe locations to avoid loss of lives following imminent flooding in the state.

    The state government said the warning became necessary as a result of the prediction of the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), of likely occurrence of flood in Ogun State and 34 other states of the Federation.

    The Commissioner for Environment, Bolaji Oyeleye, who issued the warning in a statement, advised residents along the banks of River Ogun and other flood-prone areas to be prepared to move to safer areas.

    Commissioner for Environment explained that there would be flooding in eight major rivers across the country, including Ogun River.

    He noted that that the state is expected to witness above normal rainfall, which could lead to severe flooding.

    “It is in the best interest of residents living in flood prone areas, particularly along the Ogun River, to be ready to move to safer grounds to forestall loss of lives and property,’’ he said.

    According to him, cushion the effect of the predicted flooding, residents should imbibe good environmental practices, such as desisting from erecting buildings on flood plains, de-silting drainage channels and stop dumping refuse in waterways.

    Oyeleye reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that residents have an environment that is safe and conducive for living and for business to thrive.