Nigeria's economic hub has endured another round of devastating floods this year, causing millions in damages and highlighting the city's ongoing water management issues. As one of Africa's largest cities, Lagos is rapidly expanding due to population growth and migration of people from rural areas. However, flooding has once again hindered this vibrant city during the rainy season. Why are floods still a major issue? How prepared is Lagos for an impending disaster?
Watch: What's Causing Lagos' Deadly Flooding? News Central TV Sept 28 report transcript below
Transcripts here for readers writers and researchers
This is new Okaba. This is the street 0:03 behind Abin Bala AI estate. You can see 0:07 houses being submerged with flood gates 0:10 and fences being uh removed and washed 0:13 away by the flood. 0:15 Take a look at these visuals. These are 0:18 images from areas in Lagos already 0:20 submerged in water. Nigeria's economic 0:23 hub has endured another round of 0:25 devastating floods this year, causing 0:28 millions in damages and highlighting the 0:30 city's ongoing water management issues. 0:33 As one of Africa's largest cities, Lagos 0:36 is rapidly expanding due to population 0:39 growth and migration of people from 0:41 rural areas seeking better economic 0:44 opportunities. However, flooding has 0:47 once again hindered this vibrant city 0:50 during the rainy season. Why are floods 0:53 still a major issue? What has been the 0:56 impact of flooding in Lagos this year? 0:59 Where are taxpayers funds being 1:01 allocated? How prepared is Lagos for an 1:05 impending disaster? 1:07 Guess what you should know about 1:09 flooding in Lagos? 1:12 Flooding in Lagos is not new. It's a 1:14 persistent issue that occurs each year 1:17 during the rainy season. In May, the 1:20 Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Naimet, 1:23 warned that the 2024 season, would 1:26 likely lead to flooding. They added that 1:29 several northern states, including Cano, 1:32 typically drier than the south, might 1:34 face significant flooding risks in 14 of 1:37 its 44 local government areas. The 1:40 National Emergency Management Agency, 1:43 NEMA, also cautioned that projected 1:46 rainfall in many states would heavily 1:49 impact health, agriculture, livelihoods, 1:52 livestock, infrastructure, and the 1:55 environment. 1:57 The flooding severely disrupted trade 2:00 and hindered people's movements in 2:01 Lagos. Infrastructure and buildings were 2:04 damaged and road conditions deteriorated 2:07 resulting in traffic congestion and 2:09 extended travel times. Anytime it rain 2:12 you can see the flood everywhere is 2:14 flooded like oh this works here this Ken 2:18 and Mara or you know whatever they 2:20 increase their Mhm. The fair anytime 2:24 it's rain the fair always increase and 2:26 that's a big challenge and anytime 2:28 there's a downpour for like 24 hours 2:31 nobody goes out nobody comes in. 2:32 This situation affected daily commuters 2:35 and delayed the delivery of goods and 2:37 services leading to significant losses 2:40 for businesses due to property damage 2:42 and decreased customer traffic. The 2:45 total economic impact of the flooding on 2:48 Lagos state amounted to $392.31 2:52 million. Formal and informal sector 2:55 workers were affected with many shifting 2:57 to remote work. Given that Lagos has a 3:00 GDP of $12 billion and 260 working days 3:04 annually, the estimated daily loss in 3:07 GDP stemming from the dislocation of 50% 3:10 of workers would be 196.15 3:13 million, which corresponds to a total 3:16 loss of $392.3 3:18 million over just 2 days. Additionally, 3:22 access to clean water was severely 3:24 restricted, raising concerns about the 3:27 potential health risks of this disaster. 3:30 If you come here, if you don't swim, 3:33 everybody swim 3:36 me. 3:36 In a serviceoriented economy where 3:39 efficiency and accessibility are 3:41 crucial, such disruptions can have 3:43 farreaching consequences, slowing 3:46 economic growth and development. The 3:48 city of Lagos desperately needs relief 3:51 and citizens deserve answers. 3:55 Lagos is Nigeria's financial hub with 3:58 all major banks headquartered in the 4:00 city. It is also home to the Nigerian 4:02 stock exchange which accounts for over 4:05 80% of the country's foreign trade flows 4:08 and generates over 50% of Nigeria's port 4:11 revenues. Lagos State's GDP accounts for 4:15 26.7% 4:16 of Nigeria's total GDP and more than 50% 4:20 of non-oil GDP. Over 50% of Nigeria's 4:23 non-oil industrial capacity is in Lagos. 4:27 So where has taxpayers money gone? 4:30 We don't need the flood to begin before 4:34 the government tell you that they've set 4:36 up emergency 4:38 centers for displaced persons. Now these 4:41 states are collecting ecological funds 4:43 every year and we don't know what they 4:45 doing with these monies but we know they 4:47 are diverting these monies. 4:49 The most recurring theme in Nigerian 4:51 governance is that there are no new 4:53 problems. Perennial problems are often 4:56 despised, mismanaged and treated with 4:59 short-term solutions instead of 5:01 addressing the root causes. This is 5:03 particularly evident in the case of 5:05 Lagos flooding. The question of why this 5:08 is a recurring problem isn't difficult 5:10 to decipher, especially considering the 5:14 humaninduced causes of flooding. 5:16 At times, some residents are fond of 5:18 that when it rains, they just bring out 5:20 their refu and throw into the lagoon or 5:22 into the water and before you know it, 5:24 it gather somewhere and block the 5:26 passage of water and as a result of 5:28 that, we will come and have what is 5:31 called flooding at the back. NIMT has 5:33 cited causes ranging from topography and 5:36 excessive rainfall to increased runoff 5:38 volumes and humaninduced causes such as 5:41 encroachment on river beds and 5:43 embankment failures. Beyond these 5:46 immediate causes, they've also mentioned 5:49 the blockage of drainage and waterways, 5:52 dumping of refu in drains, poor waste 5:55 management and narrow streets. Nema has 5:59 urged Nigerians to avoid these 6:01 practices, saying that flooding leads to 6:03 the loss of agricultural products and 6:06 arable land and damages infrastructure. 6:09 Addressing flooding would require 6:11 decisive government action, preemptive 6:14 measures and long-term planning, not 6:16 reactive responses. 6:19 This put the ball in the government's 6:21 court. 6:22 Every government at the local and state 6:24 level, they know the flood is coming. 6:27 They know and sometimes they using it to 6:30 flee the federal government because the 6:32 presidency gives them money. 6:33 In the first quarter of 2024, the Lagos 6:36 state government seemed to acknowledge 6:37 the problem. Before the year's rainy 6:40 season speak, they announced plans to 6:43 construct an additional drainage 6:45 collector in Agongi Leki, a floodprone 6:48 area, a proactive approach that offered 6:51 a glimmer of hope. Tokumbha, the Lagos 6:55 State Commissioner for the Environment 6:57 and Water Resources said that the state 7:00 government was committed to a flood-free 7:02 Lagos by ensuring that residents do not 7:06 have to panic whenever it rains. 7:09 We had a back to back like potato 7:12 and we had some incidents reported 7:16 around Lake Coridor. 7:19 One or two of them we had in the rain. 7:21 One of them was at the Freedom Junction 7:23 Corp where um Los State Environmental 7:27 Flood 7:29 have to move in. 7:30 He also acknowledged the recurring 7:32 flooding issue on system 156 upstream 7:35 Alpha Beach Road and vowed that the 7:37 state government would ramp up 7:39 enforcement operations to fix drainage 7:42 problems and reclaim setbacks. According 7:46 to the government officials, this would 7:48 involve monitoring the weather and river 7:50 levels, maintaining a sustainable solid 7:53 waste management system, partnering with 7:56 the AU Oshu Riverbased authority, 7:59 sensitizing residents along flawed 8:01 plains of major rivers, and recruiting 8:04 drainage engineers. The special adviser 8:07 on environment or rotimodu also urged 8:11 residents to support government efforts 8:13 by regularly cleaning drainage channels 8:16 and avoiding refuge dumping in them. 8:19 Despite receiving all the warnings, 8:21 floods swept through the city, turning 8:24 streets into ravaging rivers due to poor 8:27 drainage decisions and a government's 8:29 response that was steepid at best. 8:33 What the city needed was a stronger, 8:36 more strategic plan to withstand this 8:38 delogge. Nigeria is all too familiar 8:41 with either weak preventive strategies 8:44 or reactive approaches. In the aftermath 8:46 of the floods, local government 8:48 authority LGA chairman issued stern 8:51 warnings on the 4th of July to shop and 8:54 building owners, urging them to refrain 8:56 from obstructing drains and canals with 8:58 refues. 9:00 Abdul Ahmed Salawu the executive 9:02 chairman Shamolu LGA warned that the 9:05 council would take serious action 9:07 against residents flowning directives. 9:10 Kind Oloyed the executive chairman of 9:13 Oshodi Solo LGA also said that 9:16 government would not spare anyone caught 9:18 disposing refu in the drains noting that 9:21 market traders and residents had been 9:23 properly sensitized to desist from such 9:26 practices especially during heavy 9:28 rainfall. 9:30 But all these came rather too late. A 9:33 classic case of all talk but no action. 9:37 The timing underscores a major flaw in 9:40 flood management and prevention 9:41 strategies. 9:43 Reactive measures like post flood 9:46 warnings typically arrive too late to 9:48 mitigate the damage already caused by 9:50 flooding. This has occurred repeatedly 9:53 in a state regarded as the center of 9:55 excellence in a country expected to 9:58 exemplify environmental safety and 10:00 intelligence as Africa's largest 10:03 economy. 10:03 As of today, the count of internally 10:05 displaced person is almost over 3 10:08 million Nigerians. And this is not just 10:11 a figo, it's a size of a country in 10:14 Africa. Therefore, we must all rise to 10:17 address global challenges. Lagos needs a 10:20 shift towards sustained proactive 10:22 governance that addresses the root 10:24 causes of flooding even before disaster 10:27 strikes. 10:28 Perhaps it is time to learn from other 10:30 countries like India which has a long 10:33 history of battling monsoon challenges. 10:36 India is not free from the chokeold of 10:38 devastating floods. But perhaps the 10:41 government's actions in 2005 prompting a 10:44 thorough review of its urban planning 10:45 and flawed management strategies could 10:48 point Nigeria in the right direction. 10:51 Mumbai, a densely populated coastal 10:54 metropolis like Lagos, is the financial 10:56 center of India. In 2006, the Mumbai 11:00 government approved a committee after 11:03 the 2005 rainfall claimed 1,094 lives. 11:07 The committee studied Mumbai's rivers, 11:09 their basins and other factors 11:11 responsible for the ineffective routing 11:14 of the natural flow in their watersheds. 11:17 Since then, it has become the load star 11:20 by which Mumbai's anti- flood measures 11:22 are assessed. A report produced in March 11:26 2006 revealed that Mumbai experienced a 11:28 record-breaking 944.2 11:31 mm of rainfall between July 26 and 27 of 11:35 2005. The committee also noted that land 11:38 and property development similar to the 11:40 situation in Lagos affected the city's 11:43 natural ability to manage rainwater in 11:46 an environmentally friendly way. 11:49 To address this, they recommended 11:52 keeping the channels along the Mythy 11:54 River free of encroachments, maintaining 11:57 the drainage features at the required 11:59 width, ensuring it is free of 12:02 steelation, and avoiding any sudden 12:04 changes in direction. 12:07 In 2020, 15 years after the crisis, 12:11 municipal commissioner P. Velarasu noted 12:14 that floodprone areas were being tackled 12:17 with a focus on extreme events and extra 12:20 capacity margins were being decided for 12:22 future projects to ensure that Mumbai 12:25 could handle once in a 105year weather 12:29 event. The commissioner also said that 12:32 Mumbai had developed a flood warning 12:34 system, widened retention walls, 12:37 improved the seawage network under the 12:39 Brihan Mumbai storm water disposal 12:41 system project and removed 12:43 encroachments. 12:45 While critics claim that the Mumbai 12:47 government has not acted on the report's 12:49 recommendations for urban planning, 12:52 natural ecosystem conservation and 12:54 climate resilient infrastructure. The 12:56 Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation 12:59 asserts that 80% of the recommendations 13:01 related to the Mey River under the storm 13:04 water drains department have been met. 13:08 Mumbai's post- disaster response is 13:11 commendable. They formed a committee to 13:14 study the causes of the floods including 13:16 factors like overflowing rivers and 13:19 inadequate draining systems due to 13:21 urbanization. 13:23 Considering that Lagos suffers from the 13:25 same problems, the state can benefit 13:27 from a similar approach by implementing 13:30 preventive plans against the next rainy 13:33 season. 13:33 May they try help us do this work for 13:36 us. I beg because we s people they pour 13:39 inside water the people car they 13:42 spoiler. 13:43 Lagos needs to brace up for the future. 13:46 The Nigerian government warned states to 13:48 prepare for increased river flooding as 13:51 the country entered the peak of the 13:53 rainy season. Professor Joseph would the 13:56 Minister of Water Resources and 13:58 Sanitation advised that precautionary 14:01 measures should be taken to avert 14:03 possible disasters. He mentioned that 14:06 flood risks have been identified in 148 14:09 local government areas across 31 states. 14:12 Adamawa, Aquaon, Anamra, Baui, Bayelsa, 14:16 Benu, Boro, Cross River, Delta, Eoni, 14:21 Edo, Emo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Cano, Katsina, 14:26 Kebi, Kogi, Quara, Lagos, Nasarawa, 14:31 Niger, Oun, Ono, Oshu, Oo, Plato, 14:36 Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobi. The 14:40 total number of uh households that were 14:43 affected is 4,521. 14:47 That's total number of household that 14:48 include windstorm, heavy rainfall across 14:52 all the communities. Sadly, we have 14:55 recorded uh 14:58 seven deaths, three as a result of 15:00 flooding, four as a result of uh 15:03 windstorm that occurred uh early since 15:06 February. up to date. 15:07 The Nigerian government could also 15:09 consider working with international 15:10 partners like Seneagal has done. The 15:13 World Bank approved $155 million in 15:16 financing to Seneagal in 2021 to reduce 15:19 flawed risks in floodprone areas of DAR 15:22 and improve capacity for integrated 15:24 urban flood risk planning and management 15:27 for selected cities in the country. The 15:30 project known as project D runs from 15:34 2021 to 2026. It builds on the successes 15:37 of the first phase project uh which 15:39 provided flood protection to almost 1.3 15:42 million people in Dhaka. In the wake of 15:46 this year's Lagos floods, a team of 15:48 experts should be formed to analyze the 15:51 underlying causes of the city's 15:53 recurring flooding such as clogged 15:56 drains, inadequate urban planning and 15:59 overloaded waterways. Mumbai's committee 16:02 recommendations focused on both 16:05 immediate fixes and long-term strategies 16:08 such as preserving natural drainage and 16:10 integrating flood resilience into urban 16:13 planning. Lagos requires a comparable 16:16 long-term vision that accounts for 16:18 development impact on flood risks. 16:22 Upgrading Lagos's drainage systems is 16:25 essential to address it chronic 16:28 flooding, but a lasting solution demands 16:31 a mindset change among leaders and 16:34 residents. This goes beyond physical 16:37 infrastructure. It necessitates 16:39 transforming how the government and the 16:41 public view and fulfill their 16:43 responsibilities. In a society where a 16:45 culture of tidiness is lacking and 16:48 public officials often neglect their 16:50 duties, true progress requires a 16:52 corresponding mental shift. 16:55 When there is no rain, you behave the 16:57 way you like. Like this season we are 16:59 now is a repercussion season. You 17:01 understand? So the people also need to 17:04 be sensitized or do self sensitization 17:08 you understand to cope uh this uh men 17:11 drainage flooding uh situation because 17:15 at this season now is not affecting the 17:18 government you know the people you know 17:20 at the upper there is the masses that 17:24 are being involved in this abnormality. 17:27 Leadership must embody and promote a 17:29 culture of accountability and diligence. 17:32 Government officials often avoid routine 17:35 maintenance, strict regulation 17:37 enforcement, and long-term planning. 17:39 Yet, these activities are essential for 17:42 preventing disasters and ensuring 17:45 sustainable development. 17:47 Additionally, fostering a sense of 17:50 responsibility and civic duty among 17:52 Lagos residents is critical. The 17:55 effectiveness of any drainage system 17:58 relies on proper maintenance which is 18:00 influenced by local behaviors and 18:02 attitudes. A shift towards environmental 18:06 stewardship and communal responsibility 18:09 is necessary. Public awareness 18:11 campaigns, community engagement 18:14 initiatives, and strict penalties for 18:16 violations could cultivate a culture 18:19 where maintaining clean and functional 18:22 drainage systems is a collective effort. 18:26 [Music] 18:32 [Music]***
News Central TV boldly amplifying African voices and challenging dominant narratives through fearless reporting
No comments:
Post a Comment