Tag: Flood

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PHENOMENAL LAGOS

Lagos Flood: Mother, child sleeps in toilet

flood

The heavy rain experienced in Lagos State for over five days had forced a 50-year-old mother, Mrs Abosede Adeoye, and child to sleep in a toilet.

The five days rain generated flood that took over Abosede’s house.

The house located at Odubanjo, Igando community, a Lagos suburb, near a dumpsite by Oko-filling station bus stop, became the safest home for the woman and child as all her property submerged by water.

NAN gathered that since the rain started, the houses of some families had been taken over by flood in different parts of the state, while other families relocated to other areas for fear for their lives.

The flood took over houses and forced those who couldn’t afford to leave to look for elevated places to sleep.

NAN gathered that the dumpsite at Igando has blocked major drainages and fences, which spread Abosede home within the community, forcing them to be sleeping in toilet.

“I have been in this community for the past eight years with my child. For years now, this is how we’ve been living here and it’s affecting my health, including the health of my child.

“The place is no longer conducive for us, but we can’t even afford another place. Whenever it rains, I and other women used to fight over right of space in the toilet, but most of the women allow me to use the toilet because of my age.

“I am married, but my husband is very old, too old in fact. He left the children and I to hassle for our lives.
“All the property I moved with into this community was destroyed.

“If we go out to work and it starts raining, we start to worry and panic. We know there wouldn’t be a place for us to sleep. It means a night of trouble, cold and mosquitoes.

“When we return home to see our homes flooded, we go to bed hungry. There will be no place to cook. Sometimes, I cook and eat in the toilet,” she said.

The woman said that the community seriously needed government intervention to make them have a sense of belonging.

“We pray that God should touch our government. We badly need their help,” she said.

Aside the flooding, which appeared to be the community’s immediate problem, residents in the area also complained of stench from dumpsite causing sicknesses, while pigs and snakes have become part and parcel of the community.

The area is known as Zone one community under the Igando Estate Phase 3 CDA, which comprises six streets, Odubanjo, Alamu Olaleye, Ovwighoyoma, Kajola, Ogunmer and Otunba Oladokun.

NAN also gathered that more than a thousand buildings and over close to half a million residents are at risk of losing their homes as the rains and floods persist, if urgent step is not taken by the government.

The residents also appealed to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to look into their plight and assist them in checking the flood.

The Secretary of the CDA, Mr Samuel Ohwerhoye, said: “I have been here for over 22 years. It used to be the best place in town, but today, everything has changed.

“As members of the community, we have repeatedly tried, spending our resource to channel the flood, which has been occurring for years, but nothing appears to be working.

“Once it starts raining, we wouldn’t be able to stay in this community.

“The dumpsite here is also another problem; it pushes water back into the community. We pray Gov. Sanwo-Olu to come and look at our situation and proffer a solution.

“We’ve complained before to previous administrations; engineers will come, look around and then leave. That would be the end. We wouldn’t hear anything from them.”

Chief Abiodun Michael, a community leader, also said that the flood, coupled with fluids from decomposed materials from dumpsite, penetrated boreholes, making water unhealthy.

“I buy bags of sachet water every day; and this is after spending money to build a borehole. It’s painful.

“In order to bath, we had to go around looking for water. I’m asthmatic, once its rains, horrible stench and heat start emitting from the dumpsite, causing crisis for me.

“Our boreholes have been contaminated. Children and adults are plagued by sicknesses. Armed robbers and miscreants have taken over the community,’’ Michael said.

The residents further appealed to Sanwo-Olu to help them in building drainages, grading of streets and to check the dumpsite by spraying it with chemicals not harmful to human beings.

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EDUCATION HEADLINES

Heavy rainfall destroys buildings, vehicles in Ilorin

rainfall destroys buildings, vehicles

Residents of Olunlade Area in Ilorin on Thursday lamented the havoc wrecked by flood on their property as buildings, cars and shops were destroyed after a heavy rainfall.

The area experienced downpour around 4 p.m. on Wednesday and lasted for about three hours.

Some of the victims, who spoke expressed sadness over the terrible occurrence and damage done to their property.

rainfall destroys buildings, vehicles

One of the victims, Mr Femi Olaoye, whose house was taken over by flood, said he was helpless as the water entered his siting room and kitchen.

“I was bitter and sad as there is nothing I could do to stop the flood from entering my house. It was only me and my two children at home. I wept bitterly to witness such terrible occurrence.

“All my electronics were damaged beyond repair. Even the bedroom has turned to swimming pool. I am confused,” he said.

Another resident, Mr Yusuf Taiwo said the flood came as a nightmare to him as his furniture, bookshelf and electronics were destroyed by the flood.

ALSO READ: Flood sacks communities in Badagry

“Even some vital documents that I placed on the floor in my room have been destroyed by the flood.

“I don’t know what to do because am confused at the moment. I never expect the extent of the damage done by the flood. It was a shock,” he said.

A shop owner in the area, Mrs Ronke Idowu also told NAN that almost all the provisions in her shop were damaged.

“It is a total loss for me as there is nothing left for sale. All the cartons of biscuit, noodles, sweet and soaps were damaged by the flood.

“Some were on the bare floor in my shop that made it easy for them to be destroyed beyond retrieval,” she said.

Mr Timilehin Olubiyo said he had to abandon the building with his family since the incident occurred because he could not continue to live in the house.

“I immediately move my family to a friend’s house. Even I cannot take ordinary clothes along as all my clothes were damaged.

“It is very unfortunate. I am not happy at all. We want government’s intervention on time,” he said.

Kayode Jimoh, a taxi driver said his car was a major concern as the car was also submerged in the flood.

“I don’t know what to do. I parked it in front of my house and because of the downpour, before I realized it, it was water filled. I can’t move it now because it’s not starting when I try to start it.

“My concern now is how to make a living since I rely on the car for my livelihood. It is only God that can help me so that I won’t to shame,” he said.

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HEADLINES PHENOMENAL LAGOS

Flood sacks communities in Badagry

Flood
Flood sacks communities in Badagry

Some communities in Badagry Local Government Area, were on Tuesday sacked by flood due to the ongoing construction of drainage by the Lagos State Government.

The communities are Oropo, Yoyowe, Zogbakomeh and Sadoyon, all along Samuel Ekundayo Road in Badagry.

Residents of the area abandoned their vehicles at home and waded through the flood to their different places of work, while motorcycles could not access the areas due to the flood.

Mr Joseph Ajaji, a resident of area told NAN that his vehicle was damaged while attempting to cross the flood on Monday morning.

Flood
Flood sacks communities in Badagry

“Before the construction of drainage on both sides of the road, we used to manage ourselves to get to our destinations, but the flood coupled with construction work is really affecting us.

“I spent almost one hour before some good Samaritans rescued me out of the flood yesterday.

“I cannot go anywhere today because of the flood, I have to park my car in a friend’s compound because I don’t want to go through the same stress like yesterday morning.

“The Lagos state government should accelerate work on the drainage and road leading to the communities because we are stranded by flood,” he said.

Ajayi said that residents of the affected communities were helpless and urged the State government to compel the contractors handling the project to expedite action on the construction work.

Mr Idowu Jimoh, a community leader in the 4th Cele Area, said that the water levels had been on the increase “which is usually expected at this time of the year’’.

According to him, the water level this year is high and cannot be contained because of the construction work blocking its flow.

He said that the water had started entering houses, adding that residents had been put under pressure because of the flood.

“Most of us living in this area know that when it rains, the flood used to cut us off from the main town but when they started the drainage construction, we thought it will be all over.

“From Mobil Junction, to Oropo, the construction works have blocked water from the gutter resulting to flooding in the area.

“Even the drivers of granite trucks were dumping the sands, granite and iron rod indiscriminately on the road preventing commercial tricycle “okada’’ from accessing the road.

“Some of our tenants have relocated to Ajara area to stay until the flood subdues and we cannot leave here because we are the landlords,” he said.

Mrs Seweka Amosun, a resident of Ansarudeen area, appealed to the Chairman of Badagry Local Government, Hon. Segun Onilude to provide palliative measures to reduce the hardship residents were going through.

NAN reports that the rain which started in the coastal town since Monday, has not stopped and most of the roads in the town have been flooded.

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HEADLINES

Flood: NGSG warns farmers to stay off riverbanks

FG
FG

Expert urges FG to expand N-power scheme

The Niger Government has warned people living and farming around flood-prone areas to move away from such places, to avoid flooding.

Alhaji Ahmed Inga, the Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Minna.

He said that the agency was using traditional institutions to counsel people living in flood-prone areas to desist from building structures, or planting crops, on waterways.

“Immediately we got the 2019 rainfall predictions by NiMET, we swung into action by embarking on sensitisation, using the traditional institutions to counsel people living and farming in flood-prone areas to seek alternative places.

“We are using the traditional means of communication because most of these communities do not have access to radio or television; the best way to reach out to them is to use our traditional ways of conveying information.

“Although this year’s rainfall might not be as heavy as that of the previous year, we in Niger do experience flood year in and year out, due to the topography of the state,” he said.

Inga noted that the global warming and climate change had worsened the flood situation in Niger, and had contributed to most flooding experienced in some parts of the state.

He said that the agency had intensified efforts to educate the people on the dangers of living and farming around riverbanks.

The Director-General, however, advised farmers to heed the NiMET prediction on late onset of rainfall and early cessation, adding that they should go for improved seedlings to record bumper harvest. (NAN)