The Lagos State Government has alerted residents to prepare for the consequences of flooding resulting from heavy rains in the month of October.
This was contained in statement signed by the Head of Public Relations, Ministry of the Environment, Lagos State, Yinka Bankole-Bawa, in Lagos on Thursday.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, Oluwatoyin Onisarotu, was quoted in the statement as saying that the warning became necessary to guard against loss of lives and property.
Onisarotu urged the people of the state to refrain from dumping refuse in the drains and river courses in ensuring free flow of water.
“This is imperative so as to avert the prediction of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) which predicted heavy rainfall for Lagos State,” he said.
According to him, the rainy season is not over, hence the people of should clean and clear the drains in their frontage and environments regularly.
He advised the people not to be panic whenever it rained as they would start to experience accumulated water concentration on some parts of the roads and highways.
The permanent secretary said this will depend on the intensity of the rains.
Onisarotu said whatever flash floods recorded during the rains, it would gradually discharge in no time because of the effectiveness of the drainage channels.
The permanent secretary warned people residing along flood plains, low line areas and other coast lines like Ajegunle, Owode-Onirin axis, Owode-Elelede, Kuramo beach, Alpha beach,Okun-mapo, Okun Ajah to vacate the areas.
According to him, people in Ijora-Badia, Iwaya and other low line areas should be extremely careful and may need to vacate their residences temporarily once they notice gradual accumulation of rising water.
He said: “They should move to higher grounds as the state is not ready to lose any life during the rainy period, the people should be safety conscious during this period.
“People should avoid going out during the rains except when it is compulsory, motorists should be conscious while driving, put their vehicles in good conditions and refrain from speeding.
“Motorists should not drive through flooded areas as it might be difficult to identify its depth.
“People should plan their journey before going out and avoid unnecessary outings.
“These precautionary measures should be taken to guard against avoidable and untimely deaths.”
Onisaratu appealed to the people of the state to support the government in making the state flood free as the government was making efforts to minimise the incidence of flooding.
NAN
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