Lagos orders residents of 13 flood-prone areas to relocate

Lagos State Government has ordered residents of 13 flood-prone and low-lying areas to immediately relocate to safer locations following a fresh seven-day flood warning by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA).

The warning, which runs from September 19 to 25, covers Lagos and 14 other states, with rising river levels threatening vulnerable communities and critical facilities.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, gave the directive on Monday, warning residents not to wait for floodwaters to rise before leaving vulnerable locations.
The areas identified include Eti-Osa, Lagos Island, Oke-Ira Nla in Ajah, Kirikiri, Ilaje Waterfront Jetty, Jetty Terminal B, Isheri North, Kara, Itowolo, Ajegunle, Majidun, Ogolonto and parts of Agboyi.

Other settlements downstream of Isheri Olofin, particularly communities along the Ogun River and other major waterways, were also placed on heightened alert.

The latest warning followed NiHSA’s decision to place Lagos and 14 other states on high flood risk between September 19 and 25 over rising river levels and the threat of riverine flooding. The other states are Imo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu and Abia.
NiHSA warned that vulnerable communities could be inundated and that schools, healthcare facilities, markets, farms and places of worship could also be affected.

In Lagos, concern is particularly high in communities along the Ogun River and other waterways, where heavy rainfall and rising water levels upstream could worsen conditions downstream.

The warning also comes during what the state describes as the second phase of the rainy season, when increased rainfall, rising water levels and tidal influences can combine to aggravate flooding in low-lying, riverine and coastal communities.

“We are urging Lagosians, particularly those living in flood-prone and low-lying areas, not to take this warning lightly. When the signs point to danger, the safest decision is to move early. No property is worth risking a life.”

Wahab said the government was treating the NiHSA warning seriously and had intensified monitoring of the identified locations and other riverine, coastal, low-lying and flood-prone communities.

Wahab specifically warned communities along the Ogun River and other major waterways to exercise heightened caution, noting that heavy rainfall upstream and rising water levels in interconnected river systems could have serious downstream effects in Lagos.

He directed affected local governments, emergency management agencies and community leaders to activate their early-warning and response mechanisms, while residents were advised to move people, livestock and valuables to safer locations where necessary.

The commissioner said the government would continue to monitor rainfall patterns, river levels and other hydrological developments in collaboration with relevant federal agencies.

He also urged residents to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains, canals and waterways, warning that blocked drainage channels could worsen flooding and delay the recession of floodwaters.

Wahab cautioned motorists and pedestrians against attempting to cross flooded roads, bridges or fast-moving water and urged residents in vulnerable locations to make arrangements for temporary relocation whenever official warnings indicate imminent danger.

He assured residents that the government would continue to deploy measures to mitigate the impact of flooding and provide updates as the situation develops.