Lagos Flooding: Why Government and Residents Must Act Together

Every rainy season in Lagos, the same question echoes through the city: where was government? The reality is that government cannot act alone to prevent flooding. Residents also play a crucial role, as blocked drains, indiscriminate dumping, buildings on waterways, and encroachments contribute to the problem. Keeping Lagos dry will require shared responsibility between the government and residents.

While government has taken steps to address the issue, such as restoring 12 primary channels and 84 secondary channels, more needs to be done. Enforcement efforts have been active, but they are not a long-term solution. Simply punishing violations after they occur is not enough to build a culture of prevention. To truly solve the problem, there needs to be a social contract between the government and residents.

Government must provide functioning infrastructure, dependable waste collection, and transparent planning. Developers need to respect setbacks and drainage requirements, while businesses should manage their own waste. Citizens must actively protect the infrastructure and stop treating open drains as disposal points. However, these actions must be backed by consistent consequences for non-compliance.

Even with a strong social contract, communication gaps persist. Officials often attribute flooding to broken drainage systems, but flooding can also be the result of intense rain exceeding the system's capacity. Residents need more information about factors like rainfall amounts, design limits, discharge points, tidal conditions, recession times, and the presence of obstructions. With this data, residents can better understand the root causes of flooding and hold both government and themselves accountable.