Problems
Reasons why Lagos in Nigeria is at risk of going under water.
Lagos is partly built on the mainland and a string of islands. It is grappling with an eroding coastline that makes the city vulnerable to flooding. Sea level rise could sink Lagos, already in a low topography compared to the sea. Lagos Island, by geographic calculation, is one of the fastest sinking cities that might go down in about 2050. There are about 10 such cities and Lagos is one of them as noted by the Director-General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA). Beyond Lagos’ vulnerability to climate change, poor drainage systems and clogged street gutters in large swathes of the city are believed to have escalated its flooding challenges. When floods rage, some low-income areas built on reclaimed wetlands have to contend with sinking buildings. Authorities in Lagos have commenced the clearing of the state’s water channels to mitigate perennial flooding.
Gallery
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Timelines
2023
October 18
The authorities demolished over 20 buildings erected on drainage channels in the Lekki area of Lagos State to stem perennial flooding. The state commissioner for environment, Tokunbo Wahab, told reporters notices were issued, pointing out that they would obstruct the drainage system. Residents ignored these notices and warnings. Peter Kolawale, a civil engineer in Lagos, stresses that building codes across areas prone to flooding can no longer be treated with levity. “This is a crime and should not be tolerated by any government," he tells TRT Afrika.
May
This is expected to get worse as a result of global warming, according to a recent scientific study by the World Weather Attribution scientific team. As the 2023 flooding approaches, the federal government and state agencies need to work in coordination, following the seasonal climate forecast updates issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. As a matter of urgency, states should set up local disaster management committees to assist in creating awareness and relocating communities living in flood-prone areas.
2022
October
Urban coastal megacities like Lagos face flooding challenges that may be exacerbated by climate change in the future. While Nigeria typically experiences seasonal flooding, this flood in 2022 was the worst in the country since the 2012 floods. The flooding was caused by heavy rainfall and climate change as well as the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in neighboring Cameroon, which began on the 13th of September. Flooding, which affected Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and the surrounding region, began in the early summer and ended in October.
2021
The torrential downpour submerged vehicles on Marina and other parts of Lagos Island including Lekki, buttressing the growing apprehension about a possible sea level rise and how it could submerge Lagos and other coastal cities in Nigeria.
2020
Almost 90mm of rain fell in Lagos from 18 to 19 June. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said 20 families have been displaced at Orile-Agege as a result of flooding. Local media reported that searches are underway for a child who was swept away by flood waters in the same area.
2019
In October, flooding has affected parts of Lagos state. Local media reported that 6 people died in floods in Lagos.
2012
According to the study, global sea levels will rise by more than 6 feet (2 meters) by the end of this century. This leaves Lagos, which experts say is less than two meters above sea, in a precarious state, given that a chunk of Nigeria’s coastline is low-lying. In a study the UK’s University of Plymouth found that a sea-level rise of just 3 to 9 feet (about 1 to 3 meters) “will have a catastrophic effect on the human activities” in Nigerian coastal environments.
2010
In October, a heavy downpour forced the release of water from the Oyan Dam on Ogun River, causing massive flooding and attendant destruction Lagos.