WHY WON'T WE HAVE FLOODS

There has been a lot of complaints about, floods, especially within Lagos metropolis if you could take a glimpse in into the drainage within the city, I am sure you would find the answers to your questions. The picture above was taken by Emmanuel Emechete, a climate change advocate, on a rainy day. This is just an average sample of many drainages within Lagos State. The rains are on the increase due to climate change as predicted by the World Meteorological Organization and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency. So, we already expect to have more downpour, however, we are not taking the right actions to accommodate the volume of precipitation we expect to receive this year. Ocean waters are rising due to climate change, but that is not the only course of flooding, especially in places that are not so close to any water body. If we keep our drainage system clean and clear, this water would follow free back to the ocean, then we can focus on how to control the water level to avoid flooding in sentiments close to the oceans, such as the Lagos Island, and her surrounding. 

We need to control our ways of life, reduce the use of plastic bottles and other plastic items, dispose of our waste properly, and stop dumping trash into drainages or roadside. We need to understand that our act of irresponsibility and indiscriminate dump of trash, is one of the major causes of flood during the rainy season.

We need to stop such actions and lead a better life that is environmentally friendly and conscious. The government needs to take steps to ensure that all major drainages are clean and free of debris. The market task force should be mobilized to ensure that all market users complain to environmental policies, and the waste collectors should ensure that they collect waste at the markets, public places and residence more frequent than usual.