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In this interview with FARIDAH MOHAMMED and OLAMIDE FAMUWAGUN, the Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinlonye, discusses causes of flooding and how Nigerians can help to lessen it
Based on your experience in handling flooding emergencies, what do you think causes rainfall and the attendant flooding in some parts of the country?
The excessive rainfall that leads to flooding is purely due to human and natural factors. The human factor involves the cutting of trees without replacing them and other human activities. The more we neglect the atmosphere, the more we will have conditions such as this because our neglect has led to the ozone layer’s depletion. We consume oxygen from these trees while we exhale carbon dioxide. The more we cut these trees, the more carbon dioxide will escape into the air, and this reduces the ice glaciers that protect the earth from the sun, which is why you see more rainfall. Where there is no rainfall, the heat directly from the sun becomes closer to the earth, resulting in excessive heat.
When it comes to flooding, the infrastructure we use is what we used in the past; it remains constant without any change, disregarding the volume of rainfall coming in.
Definitely, when there is constant rainfall and a flash flood, the infrastructure begins to overflow, and the water will disturb residents.
There is also the issue of residents neglecting the existing drainage and waiting for the government to do everything for them. Another rainfall will have destroyed things before the government arrives, so residents must assume responsibility.
So, what specific roles should residents play in curbing flooding in their various neighborhoods?
Solid waste should be properly managed. Most of the solid waste causes damage to our environment, so residents who see their front yard being blocked by solid waste should be able to clear it. Once they clear it and another rain falls, it will still be blocked, so it is a constant activity to be carried out by the residents. They should be aware that when there is damage to their property, it is not the government that will repair it for them, so it is better they save time and repair the drainages themselves rather than losing their lives and property. The issue of flooding will be reduced this way.
What about areas that have no drainage facilities?
There is no community that does not have a Community Development Association. These CDAs and the traditional leaders of such communities are solely responsible for ensuring that the areas are clean, while the local government should mobilise resources as much as possible to obtain drainage facilities.
In some elite communities like the Government Residential Areas, the drainages are converted into motor parks; they have blocked the drainages so most of the rain water spills on the road, thereby damaging the road. The residents should bring whoever is responsible for blocking these drainages to book. Houses should also never be built where there are constant floods.
In a community where we recorded four deaths this year, the community was situated in a flooding area; residents refused to adhere to warnings, and lives were lost. Residents must heed the government’s warnings, especially when moving from low-lying to high-lying areas.
Furthermore, many motorists do not believe that their vehicles can be swept away by rain, and many of these vehicles have been swept away to other parts of Lagos.
How do human beings contribute to the issue of climate change?
One major thing is the cutting of trees. Once we don’t have enough trees, the carbon dioxide is exposed to the atmosphere and leads to the depletion of the ozone layer. There are also gas emissions from industries and the use of gas flares.
Can you quantify what the country has lost when it comes to responding to emergencies caused by flooding?
The quantification of losses will be limited. I don’t know how many people have died in Lagos. Every sector has to stick together to work on the implications of rainfall predictions. After the flooding, we come back together and look at the losses from each sector before we can get a full figure. It will take a holistic multi-agency stakeholder meeting to come up with the cost of losses, both human and capital.
The issue of flooding usually affects developing countries; not to talk of Nigeria, which is still a developing country. Do you think this issue of flooding could be solved?
Flooding is currently affecting the United States of America, and many people have been evacuated as a result of the flooding. The impact of climate change is felt all over; it is not only in one area. The effects can only be mitigated by a holistic approach. The industrial emissions by developed countries need to be reduced; it is something the developed nations and the developing nations need to join hands to tackle.
Without the cooperation and synergy of the two, the effects will continue. For the undeveloped nations, if trees are constantly being planted, the effect will not be as great as what we are witnessing now.
Where do you think solid waste contributes to emergency response in the country?
Solid waste does not constitute much of a problem except the blocking of drainages and canals. The clearing of drainages and canals is the responsibility of the state and local governments. The two of them must continuously work together. Residents should endeavour to always put waste where the state solid waste management team will clear it afterwards.
With the challenges posed by the use of plastic and nylon in the country, do you think it can be banned?
It is entirely the government’s responsibility to come up with a verdict, though it is being considered. If anything is being used, it should be something that can easily be decomposed.
What is your general advice to the public?
My general advice is for us to give back to the environment by planting trees in all the available spaces that we have. Let us plant trees; the Lagos State Government during Babatunde Fashola’s tenure enacted an edict that each corridor should at least have plants, flowers, or trees.
If we can adhere to this, this issue will be reduced. There should be community service and responsibility where drainages are cleaned without waiting for the government. Our safety belongs to us. No one can save us better than ourselves, so once we take these safety precautions, all other things can go well.
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