Lagos State government, yesterday, warned residents to prepare for heavy rains with wind and thunder- storms from this month, beginning today.
It advised people residing on flood plains, low line areas and other coastlines, to be careful and might need to vacate their residence temporarily to higher grounds on noticing rising water, saing the state was not ready to lose any life to the rainy period. Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, spoke in the wake of reports by Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, on expected heavy rainfall in July and the need to sensitise residents.
According to him: “As the intensity of the rain increases in July, Lagosians are advised not to panic, whenever it rains as they will start to experience accumulated water concentration on some parts of the roads and highways, depending on the intensity of the rains, but the accumulated water will recede in no time.
“It has been raining since January and it has increased the water level of the soil, thereby making infiltration capacity to be very low across the state.”
The commissioner, however, assured that whatever flash floods recorded during the rains, would gradually be discharged in less than 24 hours, because of the effectiveness of the drainage channels available in the state.
He advised people residing on flood plains, low line areas and other coastlines, like Ajegunle, Owode-Onirin axis, Owode-Elelede, Kuramo Beach, Alpha Beach, Okun-mapo, Okun Ajah, Mende-Maryland, Ijora-Badia, Iwaya, among others, to be watchful and that they might need to vacate their residences temporarily on noticing rising water and move to higher grounds. ~ VanguardNGR
