Following the incidence of flooding already being experienced in the Neighbourhood of Ajegunle and Kara as well as an additional alert issued by the Ogun Osun River Basin Authority on the operation of Oyan Dam for flood in September and October, the Lagos State Government on Wednesday asked all residents of the Ogun River banks to relocate immediately.
The affected areas include Alagbole, Meiran, Maidan, Kara, Isheri-Olowora, Agiliti, Owode-Onirin, Owode-Elede, Agboyi I, Agboyi II, Ajegunle, Itowolo, Majidun, Ibeshe, Baiyeku, Maidan, Lekki-Ajah and the Lagos Lagoon boundaries.
A statement signed by the Honourable Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab said the latest directive from the Ministry is a follow-up to a public statement issued by the Ogun Osun River Basin Authority on Monday, showing rainfall and average water released monthly for the Years 2021, 2022 and till mid-October 2023, warning of possible flooding which is already happening.
He explained that the statement noted that the Year 2021 total rainfall was 969 mm while for 2022, it was 1,140 mm compared with the first 10 months of this year which has already recorded a total rainfall of 1,410.1 mm indicating a significant rise in the amount of rainfall for 2023.
In addition, Wahab averred that the amount of water spilled by the River Basin Authority for the whole of 2021 amounted to 1,140 mcm, while for 2022, the amount was slightly higher at 1,475.6 mcm. But for the 10 months of this year, a very significant 2,274 mcm has been released so far with 532.2 mcm and 348.7 mcm released in September and October respectively.
In his words, “According to the statistical table released by the River Basin Authority, the amount of rainfall recorded from January to October 2023 (1,410.0 mm) indicates that most of the rainfall in the area has fallen. Likewise, the volume of water released from January to October 15, 2023, is more than the average synthesised Annual Flow volume of 1770 mcm against a Gross Storage of 27+90 mcm.
The Commissioner stated further that the utmost concern of the State Government is the safety of lives and properties of residents and this explains the urgent call for relocation by those affected, adding that the safety of lives and properties of the citizens is the priority of the present administration.
Wahab added that the alert to residents became necessary because there is much water to be expected in October 2023 in addition to the heavy downpour that is usually associated with September and December annually along Ogun River Basin and other related predictions and warnings from Nigeria Metrological Services (NIMET), Nigeria Hydrological Services (NIHSA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other related Agencies.
The Commissioner reiterated his appeal to all residents across the state to be wary of the fact that Lagos is a coastal city that is bound to experience flash floods and it is expedient for them to cooperate with the state government in ensuring the success of measures put in place including the early warning alert to mitigate the effects of flash flooding.
