Lagos community expresses fears over rains

Residents of Pacific Estate and its environs in Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area, Lagos State say they await the approaching rainy season with anxiety.

Apart from the usual destruction of property, the attendant flood also submerges homes and threatens the lives of residents, particularly those of their children.

But the situation had not always been gloomy for these residents. They blamed their recent plight on the channeling of water following the dualisation of the Isheri-LASU-Iba road.

The chairman of the community’s development association, Mr. Adebayo Olayinka, said, “Since the construction of the road, rain water from neighbouring communities like Araromi, Afolabi, Badore, Adexson, Akesan, Igando and Egan has been diverted to the community.

“There is no proper drainage to channel the flood water to; it is supposed to empty into the canal at the end of the community but the contractors handling the road- China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation-  left the flood water to run into the community. The construction company brought materials (pre-cast drain elements) and dumped them here last year but we have not heard from them since then.

“We fear for our children who may be returning from school while it is raining because the water can sometimes be dangerous for adults let alone little children. It will be safer if the water is channeled into the proposed canal.”

Olayinka added that “several letters from the community to the state government” had only attracted a team of inspectors, with no action taken.

Although a large part of the community is affected by the rains, some of the most affected streets include Sidi Abiodun, Ale, Oyedele, Odibo, Ewedogbon and Laidi Gbadamosi.

PUNCH Metro on Wednesday observed that some residents had deserted their homes for drier areas, while some other affected ones had begun making sand and concrete embankments ahead of the coming rains.

But for some of them, their futile efforts to protect their homes were frustrated by Tuesday’s rainfall in Lagos. Also, some of the abandoned structures have grown bushy and accumulated grime from apparent neglect.

Standing over what was left of his sand embankment, the community’s Chief Imam, Mr. Abdul-Waheed Ajao, said flood was the immediate challenge that would confront his family in the coming days.

He said, “Each time it rains, our home is flooded and we have to start moving our goods from place to place. I try to build some sand around the house, but it never helps due to the force of the flood.

Another resident, Mrs. Omotayo Elisha, claimed she was prepared for this year’s rains. Usually, Elisha and her family take refuge in her church for at least three month’s period to survive the rains.

She said, “Sometimes, we don’t come back until after the rainy season. We have lost so much to flooding in this area.”

The CCECC project manager, Gavin Hao, said, “The scope of our job as contractor is to build the road and protect it from being eroded. The erosion problem in the community is beyond our scope of work. There is no waterway around there for us to channel our drainages to and it is the job of the government to create a waterway.”

However, an official of the Lagos State Government on the site, who pleaded anonymity, said the issue had been noted by the state’s Office of Drainage Services in the Ministry of the Environment.

He said, “Some buildings are along our waterways and we are in the process of determining those with genuine claims to the land. Also, there are electric poles to be re-sited and that is causing some delay.”

Punch Nigeria