FLOOD: Lekki, VI, Ikoyi residents ask Lagos to halt all sand filling activities immediately

Residents of Lekki Peninsula, Ikoyi and Victoria Island has called on the Lagos state government to immediately halt all sand filling activities on the Island until environmental assessments are done and independently reviewed.

Coming together at the conference for flood abatement intervention in Lagos, the residents, under an umbrella body, The Coalition Of Concerned Citizens Of Lekki Peninsula, Ikoyi And Victoria Island, proffered solutions to the flood challenges facing the state.

Olusegun Ladega, a revered architect (pictured above), who represented the coalition said, “a number of issues were identified as remote causes of the flood” region of the state.

“Firstly, a distortion of the Lekki drainage regional master plan caused by the indiscriminate sand filling of natural water ways, and the illegal construction of structures on drainages and canals that obstructs the flow of water so that flood water has nowhere to go,” Ladega said.

“Secondly, the inability of the critical ministries- environment, waterfront, land and Physical Planning to work together which has resulted in infringement and breach of environmental laws by the ministries themselves and poor enforcement of environmental laws, building regulations and town planning guidelines

“A third cause of the flood is the sand filling of lagoons and oceans causing coastal erosion and forcing water back to land and the inability of estate developers to produce Environmental Impact Analysis reports.”

Akeem Oyetunde, a facility engineer representing Friends Colony and other estate around Lekki Phase 1, also said the Island is the nerve centre of Lagos state, and majority of businesses generating money for the state are located there.

“The so called IGR that Lagos state is proud of and can use in achieving numerous infrastructure projects come from the same region. If government does not care about the health impact, the social impact, I think they should at least care about the survival of governance itself.

“Coincidentally, apart from having offices in this area, Lagos state government personnels themselves live in these areas.”

Oyetunde added that the coalition is not political but only a vehicle for responsible citizens to proffer solutions for the flood situation in the state.

Ladega, Oyetunde and other members of the coalition implored the Lagos state government to resolve these issues as they are not the results of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and climate change.

The coalition further proposed immediate actions needed to abate the flooding:  “as tax paying citizens of Lagos state, we ask the Lagos state government to stop all sand filling activities across the state until the Environmental Impact Assessments reports are made available”.

“Lagos State Government should enforce the original drainage master plan. All distortions on the drainage master plan should be reversed and all construction hindering flow of water be removed immediately and there should be a restoration of all developments to comply with the Lagos state environmental laws

“An emergency plan should be put in place that will address the persistent flooding and attend to residents affected by flooding.

“Adequate measures must be put in place to inform the public of the emergency plan that will inform the public of the dangers, a plan for the rescue of anyone affected, relocation of those whose properties are affected in case of another flood.”

Damage to the infrastructure of the estates in the region, buildings, household items and vehicles due to the flooding runs into over a billion naira.

The Concerned Citizens of Lekki Peninsula, Ikoyi and Victoria Island hopes that government will act on these issues quickly to save lives and property in the axis.