Flooding Unavoidable In Lagos, We Can Only Reduce Its Impact — Says Commissioner

The Lagos State commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has said flash flooding cannot be completely avoided in Lagos because of the state’s coastal geography, but insisted that the government is deploying technology and expanding early warning systems to mitigate its impact while urging residents not to worsen the situation through illegal developments and poor environmental practices.

Wahab made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television while reacting to the recent flooding recorded in parts of Lagos following heavy rainfall.

“Must we always get flooded? No. But can we on our part as a coastal state avoid flash flooding? No.”

He said the state had installed modern monitoring devices across its waterways to track water levels in real time and provide early warnings whenever flooding risks increase.

According to the commissioner, the government has embraced technology as part of its flood management strategy.

“We’ve installed early warning signs across waterways in the state and these are things that enable us to see the water levels by the seconds. We hope to install more to see when the levels are up. We’ve deployed technology on our part.”

He explained that the state’s geography makes it particularly vulnerable to temporary flooding during periods of intense rainfall and high tides.

“We must mitigate the impact of our realities as a coastal state.”

Highlighting the unique environmental challenges facing Lagos, the commissioner noted that a significant portion of the state is covered by water despite accommodating one of the country’s largest populations.

“A third of our land is water and it’s a bit complicated. We are just 0.4 per cent of the country’s land mass but we house 10 per cent of the country’s population.

“There is a battle between the environment and urbanisation. People want to do reclamation, people build without town planning approvals and the government refuses, the same people would start insulting government.”

Wahab maintained that while the government remains committed to reducing flood risks through infrastructure and technology, residents also have a responsibility to comply with environmental regulations.

“We must not always get flooded but we can’t run away from flash flooding. However, we as people should not exacerbate the situation by our own conduct.”

Heavy rainfall in recent days caused flash floods across several parts of Lagos, submerging roads, homes and commercial areas, disrupting traffic and leaving many commuters stranded.