By Cosmas Omegoh, Philip Nwosu, Agatha Emeadi and Lukman Olabiyi
Distress and despair still echo across Lagos State after last Wednesday’s torrential rainfall.
It was a day hundreds of thousands of Lagosians saw hell in the hands of a deluge.
The rains for several hours kept pounding on the hapless residents, unleashing uncontrollable flood on both high and low.
Thus, not many of the victims of the flood are listening to the apologies tendered by the Lagos State government that the incident was “nature’s cause.”
The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokumbo Wahab, hours after the floods wreaked havoc across the state felt it was fitting to rob a soothing balm on frayed nerves by apologising to the residents.
But many Lagosians are still seething with pains and rage, preferring to move on while licking their wounds.
Across the various Lagos communities, residents felt the flood in diverse ways and are now looking at only finding lasting solutions .
And x-raying the disaster that happened last Wednesday, the residents want the state government to do something urgent to mitigate the likely effects of more flooding that is anticipated to come in the coming days.
How it all began
Lagosians woke up to witness real reign of rains and flash flood last Wednesday.
People in their communities got a taste of what they never bargained as the elements came throbbing, humbling and benumbing the city.
Just before the rains started, most residents were busy enjoying their night rest.
Some were about rising to prepare for the day’s hustle not knowing what the day held for them. Some were awake already ready to go out. After all, Lagos never sleeps.
Some people said the early July rains started in their area in the wee hours of the night.
In between their sleep, they stated hearing the rain waters falling in terrific sheets, drumming on their roofs.
“I was woken up by the rains as it began to pour,” a man who identified himself as Ichie, a resident of Whitesand, in Isheri-Oshun area of the city, recalled.
“A little later, I knew we were in for a rough patch because our own part of the street is lower. Each time it rains, we are always at the receiving end.
“It is a perennial problem we suffer. But this year’s incident was like no other,” he noted.
For hours unending, the torrential rainfall kept pounding the city with relentless savagery and intensity, forcing it into a flat, forlorn mode
Shortly after, most homes especially in low-lying areas were already in a quandary. The floods had begun roaring and rushing into every space.
Many had not witnessed such anger of the elements over time. Everything on that day worked together to bring a vast area of Lagos and its ever restless residents to their knees. it also exposed the vulnerability of the city.
And as dawn approached, most families started waking up to the grim presence of ankle-deep flood waters that had arrived right inside their homes.
With available flood channels already overflowing, putrid waters were out in the street, having overflowed from the drainage.
Major roads around town were also taken over by such waters. Everywhere was in heavy flood.
Intermittently, the rains offered moments of reprieve before resuming again. In most areas, the interlude only lasted for a few minutes marked by drizzles before the downpour resumes again.
At about noon on that fateful Wednesday, most areas of the city had been submerged that most residents could not go to work; their children could not go to school either. Every one feared being drowned or swept away by the ravaging flash flood.
In the Ketu area of the Centre of Excellence, a boy reportedly drowned in a drainage channel.
Business activities for the day were suspended just as many public places were shut.
Some of them, however, opened much later in the day after the rains had subsided. But while the flood had not subsided only the brave dared to venture out.
At home, many children and their parents kept busy salvaging what they could of their property; some continued to bail out water from their apartments.
Yet, the more they did that, the more water streamed in from the streets and beneath the floor.
Vehicle owners kept peered through the windows of their houses to behold their prized property half swallowed up by the flood. Hope for the day was both lost and gone.
For those who witnessed the Lagos tragedy, Wednesday was not a day to be or live in the city. Many -especially those who felt the problem deep in their marrows – would wish the day never was. That is why till now, they are still sullen, especially those who are still bailing out water dripping from their floors.
The effects
From the upscale Lekki and Victoria Island to the slum of Ajegunle and Mushin, to Festac town through the upper-middle class areas of Surulure to Isolo, Ikeja and beyond, the story of woes was the same.
Residents of Ago Palace Way, Mile 2, Kirikiri town and areas around them are also nursing their pains and counting their losses.
Mrs Iyabode Johnson, resident of Kirikiri town told our correspondent that shortly after the rains grew heavy, flood water started streaming into their house from the outside.
Hours after her home was taken over by the flood, she lamented that “the problem we are facing now is where my children and I will lay our heads. Our home is already filled with water well up to the ankle. The more you bailed out the water the more it returned.”
Mrs Johnson lives in a bungalow built on swampy space that was sand-filled by a developer.
She recalled that when the rain started in the early hours of the morning, she was apprehensive.
And so, she and her husband woke up to ensure that their property were secured.
According to her, they already knew that if it rained continuously for hours, that their resident would not be spared, hence she and her husband stayed awake to salvage their property.
“What we secured first were things that can be easily damaged by water, particularly food items, electronics and other electrical appliances,” she said.
Another woman, Ogechi, who lives in Ago Palace Way, recalled how she started bailing out water from her apartment from 4:00a.m. on that fateful Wednesday.
“I could not really say exactly where the water was coming in from.
“That was the first time that was to happen since I moved into the apartment years ago.
“All I could notice was that the volume of water coming into the room was growing. I kept mopping up the water until I was overwhelmed,” she said.
She blamed the Lagos State government for not being proactive by providing functional drainage for the area.
According to her, if that main gutter is cleared and made free, then the adjourning streets will not be having problem of flooding and residents would not be experiencing such hardship.
Also, Mr Joe Ikhiri who resides on Apena Street, Ago Palace Way lamented the downpour.
“To my shock, the popular Ago Palace Way was taken over by waist-deep flood. Most vehicles could not drive through. Even days after the rains, the flood is still there because much of it has no way to drain into.
“We cannot fight nature; we are the ones who did not do our job; if the drainage are free of the sand and debris preventing the easy flow of water, we will not be having this problem,” he regretted.
A former executive member of one of the CDAs in Ago Palace Way areas who did not want to be identified, lamented Lagos State government neglect of the area.
“The flooding in this area did not start today. It has been an issue of the years.
“And now, the truth is that the government has not done enough to help the people in this area.
“When next it rains, we are still going to experience this problem,” he said.
He disclosed that the closed drainage channel constructed by a Chinese company had long been filled with silt, urging the government to do well and evacuate it.
“That way, this area will see less flooding.
“We also urge the government to construct more and bigger evacuation channels that will drain the flood once it rains. That is the best way to go,” he advised.
At Whitesand area of Isheri-Osun in the Alimosho Local Government Area, schools did not open.
A school located in the area sent messages to pupils, advising them to stay at home due to the hazardous conditions of the roads and the flooding that had overtaken their premises.
The school said: “Due to the downpour and a predicted serious rainy weather forecast today, we have decided to close the school and postpone today’s exam. As you can see, almost everywhere is flooded.”
The school said it places safety first, and apologised “for all the inconvenience.”
The area is a low-lying ground, and wet even in dry season. None of its streets is paved.
The area, our correspondent learnt, was one of the hardest-hit locations in Lagos, and frequently experiences severe flooding.
Virtually every part of the area was flooded. Many of the residents were rendered homeless.
The severe flooding also trapped the residents as the two access roads to Isheri-Oshun were completely submerged despite palliative measures the community has over the past months laboured to expend to secure access.
Our correspondent reports that heavily flooded streets are the hallmark of the area once it rains.
That makes vehicular movement impossible. Pedestrians significantly face an uphill task.
An official of the Community Development Authority (CDA) expressed deep frustration, saying: “We are at it again this year. Everywhere is flooded.
“I woke up at about 3:00a.m when the rain started; all I could do was to watch my house get flooded. We can’t even start removing the water until the rain stops.”
He regretted that a particular construction company channeled flood water from Ijegun and other communities into Whitesand, saying that had escalated the problem of the area.
Ichie who climbed a platform to make a video of the volume of water right inside his compound, also made a joke out of his predicament, saying “water has carried us (he and his family) away.”
Another resident of the community, who simply identified herself as Atinuke, lamented the impact of the flood.
“Flood has wrecked us again. This one is too much. Just look at our environment. This is Whitesand,” she lamented, while claiming that the flooding in the area had been a recurring issue.
Residents called on the Lagos State government to urgently address the problem, which they called “a yearly nightmare.”
According to Adewale, “this has become a yearly nightmare for us. Every time it rains heavily, our homes will certainly be flooded.
“We’ve been pleading with the government for better drainage systems, but nothing has been done so far. We’re stuck inside with water everywhere.”
He also called on the government to stop some people building on the flood’s right of way to the canal, identifying them as the main culprit contributing to the challenge the area has.
Similarly, in Ojo area of the state, residents expressed their concerns and experiences to Sunday Sun, lamenting how the downpour had brought them untold hardship.
Gideon Adarugo, a resident of Abule-Osun in Ojo, reported how floods overwhelmed the drainage system in his area.
“Everywhere is flooded. We were evacuating water from our premises all day.
“If the rains had continued till the next day, we would have been completely overwhelmed.
“This area is swampy. However, we have not had it this bad in recent times.
“We hope that we will not have this experience again this year,” Adarugo said.
Temitope Babalola who resides on Lambe Street in Egbeda, described how the flood disrupted daily life, forcing school pupils to stay home.
“The flood was massive in our area; even last week, the water seeped into our home. We had to bail it out.
“It was a complete shutdown for us as the children were unable to go to school due to the persistent rain and the consequent flooding of the entire street.
“Some private school authorities in the neighborhood called parents to keep their children at home due to the flood.
“Vehicles were unable to drive through the flood. We remained indoors hoping that the rains would stop,” Babalola recalled, adding: “Jimoh bus stop, Akowonjo area, and Shasha axis were completely flooded; there was no vehicular movement.”
From Gbagada, Tina Otibho, a resident, shared a video of the massive flood and how it was preventing motorists from driving through to work.
She said that those who ventured out were met with impassable roads and severe disruptions, particularly in areas like Iyana-Oworo-Olopomeji, leading to the Third Mainland Bridge, forcing floods to cause significant gridlock extending to Alapere.
She said: “The Gbagada/Oworonshoki expressway is currently flooded and we cannot access the Third Mainland Bridge to the island. The canals in the area are over flooded and are seeping into the houses in the area. We just hope the rain does not persist, or else we will all be grounded for a while.”
Glory Michael, a resident of Ojo Barracks, reported how the entire area was flooded hours after the rain began.
“The whole area was flooded. This has never happened before,” she stated.
From Lekki Phase 1, a woman, Mary, shared a video of how the floods invaded her home.
She admitted that Lekki area is prone to flooding, but added that she had not experienced such magnitude of disaster since the family moved into the area.
“What we experienced was bad enough. Imagine watching the floods invade your house as an unwanted guest and you are helpless. You see yourself only scrambling to salvage your property to prevent them from being damaged by the flood.”
Our correspondent gathered that on Victoria Island, areas around Roundabout, Adeola Odeku, Ahmadu Bello Way were equally flooded for a while.
Businesses disrupted
The rains and flood that occurred also caused disruption to businesses, big and small.
Many small-scale businesses suffered losses because their proprietors could not come out to open for business. This led to loss of revenue and man hours.
In Ejigbo, a part of the town, business owners kept counting their losses.
Romacota Global Ventures in the area could not open for business throughout the day.
One of the managers, Ejike Igbo, said: “I live at Ijedodo on the outskirts of Ijegun.
“When the rains started around 4:00a.m that morning, I thought it would soon subsided, but I was wrong.
“Having reasoned that the area would be completely flooded, I called my people not to open the shop. There was no need.
“In fact, my younger apprentice nearly got snatched by the flood while he came to open the shop.
“In fact, once it rains, we suffer a lot.”
Pointing at the spot, where the accident nearly happened, he said: “You can see where the demarcation of the gutters starts from. Whenever it rains and this area is flooded, one can drown in the gutter.”
He maintained that his firm lost so much money on the fateful day.
“We lost a lot because we did not open for business throughout the day,” he said.
Alhaji Mukail, a meat seller at Iyanna-Ejigbo market said: “As a result of the rains, I could not sell at all. Is it not when people come out that they will buy meat?
“The meat I had on that table was worth N210,000; I sold nothing.”
It was similar lamentation for Mummy Princess who roasts corn, yam and plantain opposite the market.
She said: “Last Wednesday was not for us at all. The rain was not funny, no business around this area opened. The rain was a whole day’s event.”
At Trade Fair International market along Mile2 – Badagry Expressway, shop owners did not open for business until much later in the day. Even later that day, only a few traders opened their shops.
Our correspondent gathered that enormous flood occupied the roads such that vehicles could not drive through.
Even pedestrians found it had to wade through the flood water.
Then at some point, street urchins found a business angle when they erected a make-shift bridge and charged N100 to give people access to cross the road.
“When I noticed the intensity of the rains, I counted it’s all over for the day,” a woman, Faith, who sells condiments in the market, recalled.
She later told our correspondent, that many shop owners did not open at all for business on that day.
A trader who sells plumbing materials at Oduade market in Orile area of the town, said that he could only go to the market much later in the day.
“At that time, the day was almost gone. Many of our customers who saw what happened that day did not turn up for any purchases,” he said.
It was also learnt that most shops on Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, in Surulere, did not open for businesses because most of the area was flooded.
Lagos govt apologies
Seeing the enormity of what went down, the Lagos State government issued an apology to residents and commuters following the severe floods that left many stranded and large areas submerged.
The apology was conveyed by the state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Wahab, during an appearance on a television stations.
“I will start by saying to Lagosians, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused due to nature’s cause on (Wednesday) morning,” he stated.
Wahab defended the government’s efforts, asserting that the flooding was not due to lack of planning.
“It’s not for failure to plan that we had what happened yesterday. No, it was nature taking its full course.
“And we are sorry for those whose lives were disrupted: they could not go to work, they could not go to their marketplaces, they couldn’t go to school,” he said.
According to him, the state government had anticipated the situation and deployed teams early in the day to manage the floods.
“Emergency teams were on the ground since around 4:00a.m. I’ve been up since around 4:00a.m. yesterday,” he noted.
He emphasised that the impact of the flood was managed within a few hours, reiterating that while nature’s forces can be inevitable, the government’s role was to mitigate their effects.
He said the state government has urged residents to remain calm, assuring the public that immediate actions are being taken to mitigate the effects.
He disclosed that to address the immediate threat, the state had deployed the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang to critical areas, ensuring that blockages were cleared and drainage systems are functioning optimally.
Wahab warned against driving through flooded areas, highlighting the dangers posed by even on foot in flowing water.
The commissioner also encouraged the public to stay informed through daily weather reports issued by the Ministry, reminding residents of the unique challenges of Lagos as a coastal city, where a significant portion of the land is susceptible to flooding.
“As part of ongoing efforts to prevent such occurrences, the state government has embarked on a year-long maintenance programme for its drainage systems. Residents are also urged to contribute by keeping tertiary drains in front of their property clean and refraining from dumping refuse in them,” he advised.