Lagos State alerts residents on imminent flooding

LAGOS State government yesterday alerted residents living in the coastal and low lines areas of an impending over-flooding with the release of water from the Lagco Dam in Cameroun.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Oluwatoyin Onisarotu, on Monday said that the warning became necessary based on the outcome of the recent 2015 Flood Management Stakeholders Roundtable Meeting in Abuja, where preparations were made for the forecast of the 2015 Flood Management Strategies.

Onisarotu hinted of the possible consequences of the release of water from the dam in Cameroun and its attendance effect on the coastal waters and wetlands in Lagos.

It was also disclosed at the Abuja meeting that the release of excess water from the Lagco Dam may cause flooding that will affect the Benue River Basin and states like Adamawa and the Niger-Delta amongst others.

The permanent secretary, therefore, advised that residents within the coastal and low line areas, which are prone to flooding problems to ensure that all canals and drains are properly cleared to ensure free flow of water.

Likewise, they should discourage people from dumping waste and refuse into the canals and drainages to avoid flooding. He added that the state government was committed to ensuring that several flood mitigating measures it had put in place were fully deployed to ensure minimal discomfort for all those who might be affected by the rising water levels.