Environment
Obviously, poorly designed and badly maintained drainages and waste management systems have dire consequences on roads in the country, especially in Lagos where there compound the already chaotic traffic situation, reducing the lifespan of cars, and cause infrastructure decay.
By Benprince Ezeh
EVERY year, the rainy season rakes havoc in most states of the country despite the early warnings from the various agencies in charge of weather forecasts and climate management issues in the country. Although the devastating effects of flooding this year appear to be less than the previous years though the rainy season is not over yet.
But for the residents of Akinremi Street in Anifowoshe Community area of Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos, the rainy season has become a regular annual occurrence and they lament yearly the effects of flooding and poor drainage system in their streets and community.
Speaking on the experiences of the residents, Olatunde Babalola, an old resident of the Anifowoshe Community said that in the first few years of his stay in the community, there was no drainage problem, but not long after, flooding became a yearly problem in the area.
“Since the flooding began some years ago due to indiscriminate development of houses and the conversion of the community’s canal to a dumping site, other residents and I have continued to suffer huge losses in personal possessions, while also watching helplessly as their roads get destroyed.
According to him, while most residents of the area have become accustomed to living in the community, unmindful of the health risks that come with residing in such an environment.
Another resident, who simply identified herself as Kate, said that the major reason roads in the community were flooded was due to lack of a drainage system.
“This flooding is also worsened by the canal that has been blocked heaps of waste that also serve as a home and business place for scavengers.
“The blocked canal is basically now a refuse dump, the drainage channel that is supposed to run through the canal empties itself into the community,” she said.
Kennedy Udochukwu, a resident and owns a shop in the community, said that when the road was being reconstructed, he thought that the days of constant flooding was over, but since there was no provision for gutters for drainage the flooding in the community has continued.
“When the Lagos state government started working on the road without putting gutters or drainages, I knew nothing was going to change.
“They diverted all vehicles coming from Ikeja because of the construction of the bridge without noticing there was no drainage where the water would be flowing. Is that not incompetence?
“The government should better work on putting drainages, otherwise, the roads would soon be damaged again and the flooding would become worse,” he said.
Emmanuel Emechete, an environmentalist, has called for officials of government to stop of the blocking of open drainage systems in the country as part of measures to check to flood.
Emechete, who spoke with the News agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Friday, September 24, said that the various levels of government should also stop the public from constructing structures on drains and dumping refuse inside them.
”Most drainage systems are being filled with pet bottles by people who usually assume such will be washed away by erosion whenever it rains. Such used to block the drains and cause havoc to residents in areas with blocked drains.
”Government also must stop the public from blocking open drainage systems by maintaining them, and ensuring that most of them are covered with concrete slabs.
”There is no way people will empty their refuse; such as plastics into the drains as long as they are covered; only water will be able to pass through them.
”They should make sure that the drainage systems are well channeled, either into the major canals, the lagoon, or into the Atlantic Ocean,” Emechete said.
According to him, the frequent flooding usually experienced in our cities is due to a lack of proper planning by both the government and the citizens.
“Most of our streets lacked proper drainage systems, we need to get more drainage systems that will be linked to the lagoon or the ocean,” he said
Speaking on flooding and drainages, Kunle Adesina, Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources said that Lagos state government had embarked on a comprehensive cleaning and de-silting of drainages in the state and this would be a continuous exercise.
“We are also enlightening members of the public, especially those living in low line areas/flood-prone locations to vacate such areas for now, since Lagos is a coastal city, and there is no way there won’t be a flash flood,” the Guardian quoted Adesina as saying.
And for Olusola Adesina, Executive Director, Interstate Architects, said that constant campaigns and education of the general public on the need to stop the dumping of waste into the drains is important to solve the problem of slow-moving water in cities.
“A good drainage system should naturally prevent the entering of debris, waste and plastic materials into the gutter so that water flows effortlessly because once the drains are clogged up with dirt, it becomes a problem, as roads would become flooded, and ultimately lead to the damage of major infrastructure, including roads and vehicles.
“The model to adopt, as a way out, is reputable designs for drain infrastructure as the era of concrete slab drains is fast becoming over,” he said.
However, the Lagos State Government announced in August this year that it had commenced construction of drains in some parts of Lagos Mainland to tackle the menace of flooding permanently in the areas.
The state government, therefore, called for the support and cooperation of stakeholders and residents of those areas in order to enable seamless execution of the projects.
Tunji Bello, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, addressing stakeholders at a meeting held at Fazil-Omar Senior High school, Iwaya, Yaba Lagos on the project, said the flooding issue in Iwaya and environ was of serious concern to the government.
“This measure was part of the Sanwo Olu administration avowed efforts to prevent loss of lives and properties occasioned by flooding in the area and the state, which necessitated the award of the contract.
“Construction of the drainage channels would contribute to sustainable development and quality living environment for all, and that the cooperation of all residents was necessary to see the contract through,” Bello said.
First published – Oct. 01, 2021 @ 16:50 GMT | C.E
Tags: drainages lagos traffic
