Lagos predicts 261 days of rain, moves against disasters

By Dada Jackson

Lagos residents will experience normal rainfall of between 238 days and 261 days this year, the state government has said.

It also stated that adequate measures had been put in place to protect lives and property during the rainy season.

The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, who stated this during a press briefing on the 2021 Seasonal Climate Predictions at Alausa, Ikeja, disclosed that the maximum annual rainfall for this 2021 was predicted to be 1,747mm.

Bello maintained that the state government was set to ensure a flood-free and hygienic environment during the season.

The commissioner threatened to shut markets that continued to flout sanitation laws put in place to ensure that refuse was not indiscriminately dumped into the drains.

He said the state was collaborating with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) not only in the areas of annual seasonal climate prediction but also in averting devastating effects of unfavourable climate.

The commissioner added that the state had concluded preparation to have its own network of weather stations to closely monitor the climate as well as increase the preparedness for weather related issues.

Bello said the seasonal climate prediction for Lagos State indicated onset dates that ranged between March 17 and April 6, while the season ending was predicted to be between November 30 and December 5, 2021.

According to him, Ikeja is expected to experience about 261 days of rainfall with a total amount of 1,392mm and the rainfall onset date of March 17 as it already witnessed while the cessation date was expected to be 3rd of December, 2021.

“Lagos Island has had a rainfall onset date of 6th April, while its cessation date is expected to be 30th of November. It is also expected that Lagos Island would have about 238 days of rainfall and about 1627mm of rainfall this year.

“It is also expected that the increasing frequency of extreme weather events indicate that year 2021 would likely experience days with extremely high rainfall amounts which may result in flooding,” he said.

Bello restated that the Emergency Flood Abatement Gangs (EFAG) of the ministry had been consistently de-silting and working on various linkages to the secondary and primary channels to enable them discharge efficiently and act as retention basins.

He said in order to forestall the incidence of collapse of telecommunication masts, occasioned by high velocity of the wind, expected during the onset and cessation of every rainfall, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) had been put on alert to ensure advertising and communication agencies comply with regulations on safety of billboards and telecommunication masts.

He added that all emergency agencies, traffic management agencies and other emergency related outfits had been put on the alert to assist in reducing the negative impact of thunder storm associated with rainfall across the state.

Bello disclosed further that government was determined to maintain the long-established synergy and partnership with Ogun-Oshun River Basin Authority which had ensured control and monitoring of the steady and systemic release of water from Oyan Dam to prevent flooding of the downstream reaches.

He emphasized that the government would ramp up their enlightenment and advocacy efforts to sensitize and advise communities in coastal and low-lying wetland areas of the State, to move  upland when the need arises so as to avert needless loss of lives and property.

He enjoined journalists to partner government in sensitizing Lagosians residing along flood plains of major rivers and drainage channels such as Owode, Iwaya, Makoko, Badia, Ijora, Isaalu, Pota and Shibiri to always be on the alert and ready to move to higher grounds when the need arose, adding that they would be duly notified at the appropriate time.

Disclosing that it was natural to have flashfloods, which would percolate or drain off quickly, as was the case in different parts of the world, the commissioner said only when flood remains on the roads for several hours and days that flooding could be reported.

Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Drainage Services and Water Resources, Joe Igbokwe, who was also part of the briefing informed of government’s plans to dredge about 221 collector drains, 32 primary channels measuring about 72km spread across the 20 local government areas of the state to check flooding.