ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING GROUP WORK

TOPIC:
THE EFFECT OF FLOOD ON EJIGBO RESIDENTS

​LECTURER’S NAME
MRS SANUSI
 GROUP 3 MEMBERS

NAMES MATRIC NO
OLAGUNJU OPEYEMI NOHEEMOT 1807072008

ONAOLA DAMILOLA COMFORT 1807072014

OVURHIEVWEROYE ONOME CHRISTIANA 1807072011

NWOSU UKAMAKA ABIGAIL 1807072001

TIJANI KEHINDE OLABISI 1807072032

ODERINU GABRIEL OLUWADARE 1807072004

ODEMORIN ADEDOYIN KEHINDE 1807072028

PETER ALICE REGINA 1807072017

OTEDEPO OLUWATOBI FAVOUR 1807072036

AFUSAT ABBAS TEMIDAYO 1807072040

GORIOLA OMOLADE OLIATAN 1807072025

AKINYEMI ELIZABETH ABISOYE 1807072020

BELLO SEUN ORIYOMI 1807072023

OKUNADE QUDUS ADEBAYO 1807072037

ALASHE TITILOPE HALEMOH 1807072043

TABUKO EMMANUEL SAMUEL 1807072051

ADELEYE ABIMBOLA 1807072052

OKODUWA FAITH 1807072008

 INTRODUCTION

Flood is a body of water that covers land which is normally dry. Flooding can
affect the health and well-being of terrestrial habitants.

However, flooding events have been recorded more in Southern parts of Nigeria,
the rainfall season which is usually between July and October with an increase
severity of impact. Flood incident have been recorded in some parts of Lagos, for
example: Ikorodu, Lekki, Agege, ikotun and Ejigbo area of a Lagos state.

Moreover, flood can occur due to insufficient drainage system, dumping of refuse
in the water ways, illegal structures on water ways which can lead to destruction
of roads and properties.

Furthermore, in the course of our study, we have been able to identify:

▪ What flood is itself

▪ Effects of flooding generally
▪ Flooding in Iyana Ejigbo
▪ Causes of flood in Iyana Ejigbo
▪ Effect of flood in Iyana Ejigbo
▪ Possible solutions to the issue of flood in Iyana Ejigbo
FLOOD

Flood is a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry. Communities
that are affected by flood are low lying areas and land area closer to a water
body.

Victims of flood have been forced to forsake their house, property and seek for
shelter elsewhere.

Businesses have been destroyed because of flood. The need for immediate action
is important; in order to mitigate the issue.

How it works?

Soil types/land has a specific water holding capacity. If the rainfall exceeds the
water holding capacity of a land, it results to flood. Here’s what I mean.

Water holding capacity is the amount of water a land can absorb, contain or hold
without surface runoff. Once the land water holding capacity is filled, water starts
to rise above the ground level resulting to surface runoff.

Loamy soil has the highest water holding capacity followed by sandy soil and
finally clay soil. This characteristic accounts for the ability of loamy soil to absorb a
lot of water and nutrient.

Flooding is arguably the weather-related hazard that is most widespread around

the globe. It can occur virtually anywhere. A flood is defined as water overflowing
onto land that usually is dry. Flooding is often thought of as a result of heavy
rainfall, but floods can arise in a number of ways that are not directly related to
ongoing weather events.
Thus, a complete description of flooding must include processes that may have
little or nothing to do with meteorological events. Nevertheless, it is clear that in
some ultimate sense, the water that is involved in flooding has fallen as
precipitation at some time, perhaps long ago.
The origins of flooding, therefore, ultimately lie in atmospheric processes creating
precipitation, no matter what specific event causes the flooding. Floods produce
damage through the immense power of moving water and through the deposition
of dirt and debris when floodwaters finally recede.
People who have not experienced a flood may have little or no appreciation for
the dangers of moving water. The energy of that moving water goes up as the
square of its speed; when the speed doubles, the energy associated with it
increases by a factor of four.
Flooding is typically coupled to water moving faster than normal, in part because
of the weight of an increased amount of water upstream, leading to an increase in
the pressure gradient that drives the flow. In most cases, the damage potential of
the flood is magnified by the debris that the waters carry: ​trees, vehicles,
boulders, buildings, etc​.
When the waters move fast enough, they can sweep away all before them,
leaving behind scenes of terrible destruction. The effect of the water itself can be
devastating on structures and on the objects within them: ​books, furniture​,
photographs​, ​electronic​ ​equipment​, and soon can be damaged simply by being
immersed in water, even if they are not directly damaged by the water
movement.
Moreover, floodwaters typically contain suspended silt and potentially toxic
microorganisms and dissolved chemicals. This means that floods usually
compromise drinking water supplies, resulting in short-term shortages of potable
water, with the additional long-term costs in restoring drinking water service to
the residents of a flooded area.
The mud debris left behind when floodwaters recede can be costly to clean up
and also represent a health hazard, especially when there are decomposing
bodies of drowned wild and domestic animals in the debris.
In some situations, floods drive wild animals (including invertebrates of all sorts)
from their normal habitats and into human habitations near and within the
flooded areas, which can create various problems, especially when the animals
are venomous or aggressive.
Although flooding has some large negative impacts on humans, it is also part of
the natural processes shaping the Earth. Floodplains along rivers and streams are
among the most fertile regions known. Most of the so-called ‘cradles of
civilization’ are within floodplains for this very reason (e.g., the Nile River, the
Tigris–Euphrates River, among others).
Hence, humans have been affected by flooding both positively and negatively
since before historical times, whenever they find themselves in the path of these
natural event

​EFFECTS OF FLOODING
Flooding of areas used for socio-economic activities produces a variety of negative
impacts. The magnitude of adverse impacts depends on the vulnerability of the
activities and population and the frequency, intensity and extent of flooding.

LOSS OF LIVES AND PROPERTY

Immediate impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property,
destruction of crops, loss of livestock, non-functioning of infrastructure facilities
and deterioration of health condition owing to waterborne diseases. Flash floods,
with little or no warning time, cause more deaths than slow-rising riverine floods.

LOSS OF LIVELIHOODS
As communication links and infrastructure such as power plants, roads and
bridges are damaged and disrupted, economic activities come to a standstill,
resulting in dislocation and the dysfunction of normal life for a period much
beyond the duration of the flooding. Similarly, the direct effect on production
assets, be it in agriculture or industry, can inhibit regularly activity and lead to loss
of livelihoods. The spillover effects of the loss of livelihoods can be felt in business
and commercial activities even in adjacent non-flooded areas.

DECREASED PURCHASING AND PRODUCTION POWER

Damage to infrastructure also causes long-term impacts, such as disruptions to
clean water and electricity, transport, communication, education and health care.
Loss of livelihoods, reduction in purchasing power and loss of land value in the
flood plains lead to increased vulnerabilities of communities living in the area. The
additional cost of rehabilitation, relocation of people and removal of property
from flood-affected areas can divert the capital required for maintaining
production.

MASS MIGRATION
Frequent flooding, resulting in loss of livelihoods, production and other prolonged
economic impacts and types of suffering can trigger mass migration or population
displacement. Migration to developed urban areas contributes to the
overcrowding in the cities. These migrants swell the ranks of the urban poor and
end up living in marginal lands in cities that are prone to floods or other risks.
Selective out-migration of the workforce sometimes creates complex social
problems.

PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS
The huge psycho-social effects on flood victims and their families can traumatize
them for long periods of time. The loss of loved ones can generate deep impacts,
especially on children. Displacement from one’s home, loss of property and
livelihoods and disruption to business and social affairs can cause continuing
stress. The stress of overcoming these losses can be overwhelming and produce
lasting psychological impacts.

HINDERING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

The high cost of relief and recovery may adversely impact investment in
infrastructure and other development activities in the area and in certain cases
may cripple the frail economy of the region. Recurrent flooding in a region may
discourage long-term investments by the government and private sector alike.
Lack of livelihoods, combined with migration of skilled labour and inflation may
have a negative impact on a region’s economic growth. Loss of resources can lead
to high costs of goods and services, delaying its development programmes.

POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
Ineffective response to relief operations during major flood events may lead to
public discontent or loss of trust in the authorities or the state and national
governments. Lack of development in flood-prone areas may cause social inequity
and even social unrest posing threat to peace and stability in the region.

​ ​FLOODING IN IYANA EJIGBO, LAGOS

Iyana Ejigbo, Lagos is a suburb of the city of Lagos, in Lagos State, Nigeria a local
council development area (LCDA) within the Oshodi-Isolo local government area.
Iyana Ejigbo has lately become bad news to road users plying the busy
Isolo-Ejigbo-Ikotun road. The state of the gully at the intersection surrounded by a
busy market, widens and deepens by the second, leaving stranded commuters
with no option than rain swear words of government officials neglecting the
eyesore to fester.
The burden of the bad road bestowing untold hardship to business owners,
commuters, residents and motorists in the axis, cannot be quantified. Commuters
coming from Jakande Gate/NNPC to Ikotun and vice versa are stranded at the
spot for about an hour on a passage that should not take more than five minutes.
Those residing in Ejigbo, Ikotun and environs, who ply through the Ejigbo-Ikotun
road daily, have had to spend several hours in choking traffic and the fear of

Falana road at Iyana Ejigbo

getting their vehicles damaged in the big potholes constituting a death trap to
motorists.
It was observed that many businesses and shops along the corridor have
remained shut due to the bad situation, swelling the frustration and depression of
those affected. From morning till night, the story is the same – a tale of woes and
neglect, which worsens with every little downpour.
The scanty businesses that are barely surviving and braving the odds to open are
overwhelmed with smelly floodwater, which makes it nearly impossible for any
customer to wade through the pool in order to purchase any goods.
Despite the outcry of residents, past governments have not been able to provide
a lasting solution to the problem of potholes and blocked drainage at the Iyana
Ejigbo spot.

Unfortunately, the sad tale had been in existence since the administration of
former governor Babatunde Fashola, which was in turn passed down to the
recently passed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Ambode, who made an
unscheduled visit to the spot in the first year of his administration, had promised
to end the intractable problem.
Months later, he delivered with a rehabilitation of the road and an expanded
drainage from Iyana Ejigbo through Ile-Epo bus-stop to Ori-Oke bus-stop, to solve
the problem of incessant flood in the area. But that effort too was short-lived as
the intersection has completely collapsed, while the root cause of the problem,
proper drainage channel through the market serving as obstruction, has not been
tackled.

Speaking with a resident of the community, a road user simply known as

Ikechukwu lamented the situation, calling for an urgent and lasting intervention.
He said: “The road linking Ikotun and Oke-Afa has now become the major reason
for traffic in that axis; it is sad how people spend hours on a journey that
shouldn’t take more than five minutes.”

Also speaking, one of the victims whose businesses have been crippled by the bad
road, Emeka Michael, said government is not serious about fixing the road.
According to him, the only way the problem can be resolved is if the water is
channeled through the Ejigbo market.

“My boss settled me in Ejigbo with this business and I have been here for more
than 15 years. The situation of this place makes me cry and it is getting worse by
the day. It would be a great relief if eventually the road is fixed. I believe there are
some people who do not want something to be done about it because they are
benefiting from it”.

“What I heard is that the Oba of this community is behind the suffering that many
businesses in this neighborhood are facing. They are supposed to channel the
water to go through the market, but they channelled it to the canal at Ile Epo and
that place is an uphill route. The water cannot move freely. And water cannot mix
too long with concrete, so the road keeps damaging.

“Regardless of the sufferings that many businesses are facing in this environment,
we are still paying tax, lockup charges. If they channel the water to the right place,
which is the market, all these sufferings would stop.”

CAUSES OF FLOOD IN EJIGBO.

1. Poor channel of drainage system

Some of the drainage system in the area are not constructed and maintained well.
Most of the residents misuse the drainage by of dropping refuse, sewage reducing
it effectiveness and capacity to allow flow of water
2. Severe winds

The shorelines of lakes and bays can be flooded by severe winds such as during
hurricanes.

It all boils down to this:

3. Heavy rain

Heavy rain comes with severe winds like tornado; flooding the community. Heavy
rain is the major cause of flood.
4. Illegal Structure

Some of the buildings in the area were erected on water ways thereby stopping
efficient flow of water. Construction of these houses close to river banks or water
ways have been a major course of impediment to water flow which could in turn
endanger people lives.

5. Throwing dirt residues on the street

People, most often than not throw dirt on the street, some motorists and
passengers throw raps of snacks and other disposable materials from their
vehicles on the street. Also, due to the market structured at the Iyana Ejigbo bus
top, dirts are often found along the road. These dirts are carried by water waves
when ever there is downpour of rain and are flushed into gutters and drainages
and block the water ways thereby resulting to flood.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES FROM RESIDENT

Question 1: How has the recent flood affected you as a resident of Ejigbo
community?

Ans: Those of us whose houses are beside the swamp, the flood has affected
our houses and almost destroyed the foundation. Also, it is affecting our health.

(Anonymous)

Question 2: what do you think is the cause of the flood in this community?

Ans: Bad roads. There is no single road in Ejigbo that is favorable to the people
coming and going and there is no alternative for us

(Mr Emeka Odogwu)

Question 3: What are the residents personally doing to prevent the flood?

Ans: The little we can do and have been doing, is clearing our gutters of dirts, so
that water can flow freely through it

(Mr Jinadu Eniafelamo)

Question 4: What actions have the governments taken to stop the situations?

Ans: The former governor, Ambode, expanded drainage during his time but that
effort worked only for a short time. For now, nothing has been done so far

(Mr Jinadu Eniafelamo)

Question 5: As a residence of this community, what do you think the solution to

this problem is?

Ans: Personally, I think a canal should be built and all the drainages should be
linked directly to it. We also hope the government can come to our aid and help
fix our roads, with good drainage system

(Mr Emeka Odogwu)

EFFECTS OF FLOOD ON IYANA EJIGBO RESIDENTS

From the interview conducted by the group with some residents of the area, we
have been able to gather from them the following effect the flood has on their
environment.

1 Bad Roads

The flood in the area has resulted to damage of the community roads. Notable
streets like Falana, Tajudeen Ogunseye, Orilowo Estate road, NNPC road etc have
really been affected as the roads have gone worse due to the flood. These bad
roads have caused accidents in the area and makes movement generally difficult.
 2 Poor health conditions on the Residents.

The immediate health impact of flood include drowning, injuries, animal bites
(mosquitoes), communicable disease and starvation are indirect effect of
flooding.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO FLOOD IN EJIGBO

Here’s the big secret:

Floods can be easily and effectively controlled. Developed countries have

successfully prevented flood during heavy rain and climatic change. These
methods used can be implemented in the Ejigbo Area.

1. Construction of Dam

A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of water or underground stream.
It’s an effective way of flood control. Dams were originally built especially for
flood control in developed countries.

How it’s works?

Many large dams have flood control reservation in which the level of a reservoir
must be kept below a certain point before the rainy season.

During the rainy season, flood water is allowed to fill the dam restricting them
from destroying lives and properties.

Consider the dam as an open tank filled with water. Before the rainy season, the
tank is emptied in order to create space for rain water during the raining season;
reducing flood in the community.

2. Improve Flood warning system

Flood warning system is a way of detecting threatening events in advance. This
warns the public in advance so that actions can be taken to reduce the adverse
effect. Properly conveying advance warnings of impending storms and floods will
not only give people the opportunity to be proactive in preventing damage to
their property, it will save lives.

Warning signs should be indicated in the Ejigbo area preventing more people
from falling victim in such area. It also warns drivers to avoid specific routes in the
area that are flooded.

3. Create Flood Plains

Flood plains are lands that have the capacity of absorbing large amount of water.
It’s diverts water from flooded communities; reducing the flood.

This is a method of conservation as flood plains are used as natural reservoir;

where communities can fall back on during drought.

In some countries, wilderness and deserts have been re-engineered to act as

flood plains. This should be looked into in Nigeria.

Flood plains also serve as natural habitat for aquatic animals​.

4. Diverting Canals

Canal is a man-made water way. Canals deliver water from flooded communities
to a city where water is needed. Canals can link several cities together. Here’s
what I mean.

Canal can link Ibadan to Ogun state; crowning it’s efficiency.

Floods can be controlled by redirecting excess water to purpose-built canal. Canal

is also used to confine or lock water.

5. Improve Drainage System

Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of water from surface and sub surface
area. This traditional method of controlling flood, has now been improved are
well structured to drain flood water.
Improved drainage system involves cleaning drainage system regularly in order to
remove the debris. It’s a common environmental practice in the community.
Improving the drainage system; makes it more effective and efficient.

6. Environmental Sanitation

It seems like an obvious measure, but sanitation is imperative on this list.

Here’s why?

Refuse and sewages block the drainage system and canal pathway, preventing the
flow of water; making them inefficient.

Canals, drainage should always be cleaned regularly; removing debris e.t.c

People should be warned against indiscriminate dumping of refuse and sewage in

the community, canal.

The big secret is: this is the cheapest way of preventing flood in Nigeria.

CONCLUSION

Having Known the effect of flood to our lives as humans and to our environment,
and knowing the possible solutions to prevent and curb this issue, the best thing
to do is to take action. The desire of living in a heaven on earth community cannot
be a reality not until we arise from that helpless state and take action.