Residents living in Alagbole, Meiran, Kara, and other downstream areas of the Ogun River have been warned by the Lagos State Government to relocate to safe areas, as flooding is expected to occur this month.
News About Nigeria reports that the affected areas include Alagbole, Meiran, Maidan, Kara, Isheri-Olowora, Agiliti, Owode-Onirin, Owode-Elede, Agboyi I, Agboyi II, Ajegunle, Itowolo, Majidun, Ibeshe, Baiyeku, Maidan, Lekki-Ajah, and the boundaries of the Lagos Lagoon, according to a statement released on Wednesday by Kunle Adeshina, spokesman for the Ministry of Environment.
The statement said, “The latest alert, which emanated from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, is a follow-up to a public statement issued by the Ogun Osun River Basin Authority on Monday, showing rainfall and average water released monthly for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023 until mid-October and warning of possible inundation by flooding, which is already happening.”
As compared to the first ten months of this year when rainfall totalled 1,410.1mm, he said that the total rainfall for 2022 was 1,140mm, while for 2021, it was 969mm, representing a significant increase.
The alert was triggered by flooding that was already occurring in the Ajegunle and Kara neighbourhoods and by a second alert that the Ogun Osun River Basin Authority had issued about the Oyan Dam’s operation in anticipation of flooding in September and October, according to the government’s explanation.
According to Adeshina, who cited a statistical table made public by the River Basin Authority, the majority of the area’s rainfall was recorded between January and October 2023 (1,410.0 mm).
He stated that the state government’s top priority is ensuring the safety of residents’ lives and property, which is why those who are impacted have been asked to relocate.
