NIGERIA: Heavy rains and ocean surge cause flooding in the commercial capital Lagos destroying property and displacing scores

Record ID: 235723

  • Title: NIGERIA: Heavy rains and ocean surge cause flooding in the commercial capital Lagos destroying property and displacing scores
  • Date: 2nd July 2012
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENVIRONMENT ACTIVIST, DESMOND MAJEKODUNMI, SAYING: "What makes it look so bad now is that the coastline has been eroded, so there is no buffer there is no natural buffer between the sea and the low lying area where the communities are, so it makes it look a lot more dramatic because the coast has been badly eroded particularly because of these shipwrecks."
  • Embargoed: 17th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA1XKM2Z5VQCRRNLZEY02GJ53KY
  • Story Text: Heavy rains soaked Nigeria's sprawling commercial city Lagos relentlessly on Sunday (July 01) and Monday (July 02) with no signs of easing.
    On Monday several neighbourhoods in the city particularly on the Lekki Peninsula close the Atlantic Ocean were flooded and the streets impassable.
    Poor planning by past regimes has left Lagos with an insufficient drainage system. The few available water channels and drains have been blocked by waste, aiding to flooding in many neighbourhoods during the rainy season.
    But another unpredictable danger also lurks along the city's beach front threatening both life and property - rising ocean levels.
    On Sunday morning huge ocean waves swept through settlements at the Alpha beach front on the Lekki Peninsula destroying houses, businesses and shacks along its path. Residents were forced to flee to safety carrying whatever they could.

    "It was yesterday night (June 30) the rain started on the beach so yesterday night after 1:00 so this morning around 9:00 the water started coming out the sea started pushing everybody out form the beach, everywhere is flooded with water," said Joel Azuno, carrying a heavy suitcase on his head.
    Experts warn that some heavily populated areas in Lagos are under constant threat from ocean surges, situated below sea level some have little to no land buffer to protect them from the battering of sudden waves.
    Desmond Majekodunmi, an environmental activist based in Lagos said although ocean surges were not a new phenomena to Lagos, several factors had aided the destructive nature of Sunday's surge on Alpha beach and the environs.

    "What makes it look so bad now is that the coastline has been eroded, so there is no buffer there is no natural buffer between the sea and the low lying area where the communities are, so it makes it look a lot more dramatic because the coast has been badly eroded particularly because of these shipwrecks," he said.
    Fun seeking Nigerians usually visit the beach for recreation during weekends and public holidays but now with most of the facilities washed away, businesses will struggle.
    Majekodunmi said restoring the damaged beach front would be a daunting task and blamed government for not heeding to several alarms raised earlier by his organisation.

    "The remedy now will be very expensive that is why they say prevention is better than cure, because when the wrecks are removed, we will have a natural replenishment, but a lot of the stabilising factors - that is the trees - have gone, so they need to replant the trees and also they need to think very, very seriously about developing some sea walls and taking this seriously," he said.
    Lekki is home to West Africa's most expensive real estate as the country's wealthy move to this area reclaimed from the sea through sand filing, however, ocean surges and floods pose serious challenge to those living there.
    Lagos has a population of over 16 million people and experts say this figure will increase to 25 million by 2025 and therefore would pose serious housing and infrastructure challenges.
    ENDS
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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