Lagos Seeks Collaboration To Eradicate Flooding

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said it will continually seek collaboration and embark on new innovations to eradicate flooding in year 2022.

Speaking during a one-day review of the year 2021 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) for Lagos State held at NECA House, Alausa, the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Engr. Joe Igbokwe, said the event was organised to assess the impact of rain on the social, economic and mental activities of Lagosians in the year 2021.

The Special Adviser, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Olalekan Shodeinde, said the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) is an annual initiative of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) that provides information about expected rainfall patterns for the year to enable various sectors of the State prepare for the season.

He said it became necessary to review the year 2021 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) in anticipation of the year 2022 prediction while acknowledging some of the achievements and seeking improved ways to resolve the obstacles that were recorded in the past year.

“Reviewing the Year 2021 SCP will afford us a proper self-assessment, especially in the Global Climate Change era, and the challenges it poses. It is necessary due to its impact which is mostly felt at the communal level”, he said.

Igbokwe said the State remains open to new partnerships and improved synergy with relevant organisations, adding that the collaborations are expected to improve the knowledge base as well as bring forth new ideas in technology deployed for combating flooding in the State.

In his goodwill message, the Director-General, NIMET, Mr. Mailadi Yusuf, pointed out the need for all States in the country to pay more attention to the weather conditions that prevail in their various communities periodically.

He stressed that everyone is aware of the effects of climate change in various ways and dimensions, adding that the three glaring ways to identify how the climate crisis impacts human lives are the environment, health and food.

Yussuf said the Nigerian Meteorological Agency is mandated to record the activities of citizens and their livelihoods, maintaining that small changes in the global average temperature can cause major and dangerous shifts in the weather condition.

He urged all residents to pay more attention to the advisory messages issued by NiMet and partner with the Agency to adequately disseminate information to all stakeholders so that extreme weather events being witnessed across the globe can be predicted and possibly averted.

The Director-General commended the Lagos State Government for the initiative, acknowledging that the programme is the first of its kind in Nigeria, calling on others to emulate Lagos and take necessary action to avert flooding in their respective States.