Community submerged by flood seeks Lagos govt help

Regular visitors to Waheed Ewenla Street in the Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area know better than to go to the area whenever it rains.

This is because the area is usually submerged by flood after any downpour.

Residents said the community had been battling with the problem of flooding for the past 10 years.

PUNCH Metro observed during a visit to the community that the major cause of flooding in the community was the lack of drainage in the area.

When our correspondent mentioned the fact that the community lacked drainage channels, an elderly resident, Ayo Akinsowon, explained that many landlords did not give room for gutters while building their houses, adding that the portion of lands that were supposed to be used for rain water collection in the area had been sold by land grabbers, popularly called omo onile.

He said, “We were told that the government had initially earmarked some places to be used as drains. Over the years, these portions of land had been sold by the omo oniles and structures had since been built on them. To be able to construct the drains, some of those structures have to be demolished.”

The Chairman of the residents’ association, Chief S.O. Oshikoya, said the council had abdicated its responsibilities with respect to the roads in the community.

According to him, anytime they write to the state government, they are usually referred back to the council authorities.

He added that it was later that the state government responded by doing some palliative works on the road which did not last long before it was completely damaged by the floods.

A resident in the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the perennial flooding that residents experience during rainy seasons gave them a cause to worry.

She said, “A young boy was swept away by flood sometime in September 2011. The boy almost died, but for the intervention of the people who witnessed the incident. They were able to rescue him and take him to a hospital where he was admitted for two weeks.”

A landlord in the community, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, explained that some of the landlords whose houses were worst hit by the flood had abandoned their houses and fled the area.

He said; “Our houses are at risk of collapsing or being submerged by the flood. Those that are worst hit have either relocated temporarily or permanently. Others have had to put up their property for sale. It is that bad. Lagos State Government should come to our aid.”

Efforts to reach the Chairman of Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Waheed Bello, was not successful as calls made to his mobile telephone lines indicated that his phone was switched off as of the time of filing this report.

PUNCH