Flooding: ‘Only 20% of Lagos is covered by functional drainage infrastructure’

Mr Lookman Oshodi, a settlement development expert, is the Project Director, Arctic Infrastructure. In this interview with DAYO AYEYEMI, he speaks on the annual Lagos’ flood challenges and the need for the authority to be proactive and creative in responding to the deluge. Apart from being a coastal city, the renowned town planner listed inadequate implementation of provisions of the drainage master plans; indiscriminate conversion of wetlands to hard concrete developments; distortion in the waste management; rising sea level and climate change impacts, among others as factors contributing to annual flooding of Lagos. He however, suggested some useful adaptation and mitigation measures.

 

Last week flooding of Lagos after a prolonged heavy downpour has become a source of worry to residents despite efforts of the state government to clean the existing drainage system. Is this not a warning signal?

It is not a good signal for the city. Although, mega cities in developing economies are facing similar challenges, Lagos needs to be proactive and creative in responding to the annual flood challenges which is a clear signal of possible high vulnerability risk of the city in the future.

 

What are the issues?

The issues are multifaceted, but key ones include inadequate implementation of the provisions of the drainage master plans which recommended the level of efforts in delivering new drainage systems and the related infrastructure. Also, is the proliferation of informal settlements and slums, poor urban planning, continuous reduction in the green footprint of the city through extra-legal development, distortion in the waste management value chain, rising sea level and other impacts of climate change.

 

Is it a matter of inadequate infrastructure?

In addition to other factors, flooding crisis is a matter of inadequate infrastructure. Empirical observations of the city of Lagos indicate that only about 20 per cent of the city is covered by adequate and functional drainage infrastructure. Many of the drainage within this 20 per cent range does not enjoy robust maintenance structure.

 

Apart from government, people put the blame at the doorstep of settlement development experts for not planning the city well. What is your take?

Inability to plan the city well is a factor. Despite the existence of nine model city plans, extra-legal development continues. That means the implementation of the plans is yet to reach an appreciable level that could turn around the settlement pattern of the city which is a major measure of mitigating the flood risk. Experts need to do more on implementing the quick wins and long term solutions as identified in the plans that could change the flood narratives in Lagos.

Or is it a case of climate change effects?Climate Change is having significant effects on the flood risk in Lagos. That is becoming visible in the rising scale of pluvial and fluvial flooding in many locations in Lagos State.

Near the beaches especially in Alpha Beach, Ilasan, Igbo Efon axes of Lekki, the ravaging sea water is currently reducing the vegetation belt by more than five meters in the last 10 years. This is a disturbing trend for the future sustainability of the state.

Being a coastal city makes Lagos more vulnerable to the impacts of the climate change. The city requires to upscale its efforts in adaptation and mitigation.

 

Do Lagos has appropriate infrastructure to mitigate flooding?

On the adequacy of infrastructure, this is not adequate in Lagos. The soft infrastructure such as wetland, buffer zones, green belt, are fast loosing their foothold in Lagos and this should be a major concern for the city. Nature based solutions as a method of soft infrastructure is no longer popular in the city.

Hard infrastructure such as seawall, canals, secondary and tertiary drainage systems are not in adequate supply. All these are expected to be interconnected and integrated, but the shortage is increasing the flood vulnerability risk of the city.

 

Lagos no longer has wetlands or buffers as many of these have been converted to residential estates. What are the effects on the city?

The level of encroachment and change of use on the wetlands are unprecedented in Lagos. The wetlands which the city will need in the peak of the emerging flood crisis are being converted to different hard concrete developments. From Ogudu, Odo-IyaAlaro, Owode-Ajegunle, Magodo, Ayobo, Lekki, the stories of conversion are all the same without critical consideration of impacts on the environmental and economic sustainability of Lagos.

These wetlands are shrinking. The ability of the city to withstand climate change shocks are being compromised. Properties and economic assets are more likely to be destroyed affecting a large number of people in the future compared to the immediate gains that conversion of wetlands can offer.

 

What are the solutions to problem of flood in Lagos?

Some of the solutions that could be implemented urgently and in the long term include moratorium on the conversion of wetlands to other uses across the state. There should be budgetary and necessary capacity back up for the implementation of the state’s drainage master plans. Also deliberate steps should be taken in the implementation of different Model City Plans to about 50 per cent of their provisions in the next 10 years.

There must be practical steps to resolving housing problems in the city, a major pressure factor for flooding.

Other solutions are to address the missing gap in the waste management value chain; adoption of nature-based solutions and Sponge City Concept as integral part of planning framework in Lagos; clear maintenance strategy for the flood risk infrastructure such as drainage and adoption of the drainage systems as socio-economic infrastructure rather than purely social infrastructure.