The Lagos State Government on Monday assured residents that it had put in place necessary measures to address challenges likely to be posed by heavy rainfalls, as the rainy season gradually approaches.
The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information and Strategy, Fola Adeyemi and his counterpart in the Ministry of the Environment, Abiodun Bamgboye, in a joint statement, urged the residents to remain calm.
The state government said the unpredictable pattern of rainfall currently being experienced was a natural outcome of climate change.
It said it was not unusual to occasionally experience flash-floods, especially in a coastal states like Lagos, as well as during rain of high intensity, as it occurred in the early hours of Monday.
“Sometimes when it rains, we are likely to have flash-floods on our roads as it sometimes happens in other parts of the world, but the relief here is that the flash-floods will disappear in a couple of hours,” it said.
It also assured residents that relevant government agencies had been put on red alert to adequately respond to any unforeseen occurrences during rains of high intensity and confront any other emergencies during the rains.
It said the state Public Works Corporation was already on ground to clean the drainage channels, drainage setbacks and other road debris.
It, however, appealed to residents to desist from the act of indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the drains as well as erecting structures on drainage and their alignments as these acts were capable of precipitating flooding.
“The general public is urged to promptly report cases of indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels and unauthorised places as well as other incidents of drainage blockage to the relevant government agencies” it added.
It also advised Lagosians and motorists to be safety conscious during this period and take some safety measures like remaining indoors during the rains except when it is absolutely necessary, and avoid over-speeding when driving.
It also advised drivers to ensure their vehicles were in good condition and avoid driving through flooded areas that their depths might be difficult to ascertain.
The state government assured that it would continue to intensify efforts at containing the flood, stressing that it would continue to maintain all primary and secondary channels during and after the rainy season.