Lagos alerts residents of flood-prone area of imminent flood

Lagos State government has alerted residents living in the coastal and low-lines areas of impending over-flooding of such areas with the release of water from the Lagco Dam in Cameroon.

Oluwatoyin Onisarotu, permanent secretary in the state ministry of the environment, in a statement said the warning became necessary based on the outcome of the recent 2015 Flood Management Stakeholders Roundtable Meeting organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment 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 Cameroon and its attendance effect on the coastal waters and the wetlands.

It was also disclosed at the Abuja meeting that the release of excess water from the Lagco Dam might cause flooding that would affect the Benue River Basin and states like Adamawa and the Niger Delta, among others with flooding problems.

The permanent secretary therefore advised that residents within the coastal and low-line areas prone to flooding problems to ensure that all canals and drains were properly taken care of free flow of water.

Likewise, they should ensure discouragement of people from dumping waste and refuse into the canals and drainage that may cause havoc and flooding.

He also stressed 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 that come with the release of that water.