We Now Use Canoe To Move From Street To Street, Says Lagos resident

Environmentalists Warn Of Health Harzards, Urge Effective Management Of Crisis

We Now Use Canoe To Move From Street To Street, Says resident

FOR the third consecutive day, the rains fell heavily in Lagos on Friday. It did not rain cats and dogs, though, but it was quite heavy all the same.

But the prognostications are even more foreboding. Metereologists have warned that the tribulations might drag for the next seven or eight weeks, especially in the coastal areas.

Most parts of Lagos and indeed most coastal cities were flooded, with residents counting their losses. Many areas that had hitherto escaped flooding were not spared.

The meteorologists have, however, dismissed suggestions of three-month-non-stop rains in Lagos.

The Lagos State Government had on March 27, 2012 alerted residents to brace up for 236 days of persistent rainfall this year. It warned that the rains would come with rainstorms that could uproot trees, cables and house roofs.

Deputy General Manager in charge of Weather Forecasting and Climate Research of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Abuja, Mr. Cyprian Okoloye, told The Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday that there was nothing unusual about the over nine hours of rain between 11pm on Wednesday and 8am on Thursday.

Okoloye dismissed suggestions that Lagos might be submerged by rain if it continued. He, however, said the Director General of NIMET, Dr. Anthony Anuforom had at the beginning of the year given a clear picture of rainfall pattern for 2012, in a paper titled “Seasonal Rainfall Prediction and Socioeconomic Implications for Nigeria for year 2012.”

According to the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP), “overall, there is likely to be normal onset of rains in 2012 in most parts of the country. Onset dates between late February (in the Southern-most part of the country) and last week of June (in the northernmost part of the country) are predicted. A near normal annual rainfall amount is predicted varying from 300 to 1100mm in the northern half of the country and from 1200 to 2700mm in the South.”

Okoloye said: “Right now the Monsoon flow pattern is over the West Coast of Africa where it brings a lot of rainfall over the coast. So, right now, it is deep. The whole country is having rain. Like in Abuja, the rain has been heavy and in most parts of the South. We are in the peak period for rain.

“So, it will continue up till the third week of July before we will have a respite. There will be temporary relief with drizzles. Then there will be a little dry season afterwards—- what people call August break.

“This Monsoon flow is very deep over the coast of West Africa and will continue to bring rain. I can tell you it will continue at interval. So, you will expect flash floods here and there.”