Home Environment & Climate Heavy Rainfalls: Lagos Govt. Warns Owners Of Structures On Drainage Alignments

Heavy Rainfalls: Lagos Govt. Warns Owners Of Structures On Drainage Alignments

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As heavy rainfall intensifies leading to flash floods, the Lagos State Government on Tuesday renewed its warning to owners of all structures on drainage alignments and setbacks to relocate them to higher grounds.

The State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello in a statement on Tuesday said many of such buildings have already been marked in Mende, Maryland, and Aboru in Alimosho for contraventions of drainage alignments and may soon be demolished.

He added that it is regrettable that after several such warnings, the residents of the areas have refused to move but would rather resort to cheap blackmail of having nowhere to relocate to.

Bello, who spoke against the background of a viral video of some people being rescued in Mende, emphasized that the area is a lowlying flood plain as attested to by the ODS markings on all the buildings in the viral video just as it is the drainage route for all the water coming from Agindigbi, Oregun, Opebi, Allen, GRA, Maryland up to Ogudu Foreshore.

He said now is the time for the residents of such areas in the state to relocate to safeguard lives and properties.
While pleading for calm from all residents, he stated that the drainages have the capacity to contain water runoff when the rain stops just as it is happening already.

Bello said the heavy torrential rainfall which started in the early hours of Monday and still continued on Tuesday afternoon has caused flash floods in many areas.

He reiterated his assurance that a minimum of four hours after the rainfall ceases, the water level in the lagoon will go down, allowing water from major collectors to flow into it and enabling all flood water that may have inundated our roads and streets to leave the streets.

He stated that one constant factor that should be borne in mind always about Lagos is that it is a coastal city with over one-third of its land mass under water.

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