The Lagos State government, on Wednesday, ordered 18 settlements near the Ogun River to relocate from the areas for fear of the likelihood of flood.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Kunle Adeshina, who issued the warning through a statement, said the directive followed an alert issued by the Ogun-Osun River Basin Authority on the operation of Oyan Dam this month.
He added that cases of flooding have already been reported in the Ajegunle and Kara areas of the State.
The spokesman listed areas that are likely to experience flooding in the days as Alagbole, Meiran, Maidan, Kara, Isheri-Olowora, Agiliti, Owode-Onirin, Owode-Elede, Agboyi I, Agboyi II, Ajegunle, Itowolo, Majidun, Ibeshe, Baiyeku, Maidan, Lekki-Ajah and the Lagos Lagoon boundaries.
The statement read: “The latest alert which emanated from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources is a follow-up to a public statement issued by the Ogun Osun River Basin Authority on Monday showing rainfall and average water released monthly for the Years 2021, 2022 and 2023 till mid-October and warning of possible inundation by flooding which is already happening.
“Comparatively in 2021, total rainfall was 969mm while for 2022, it was 1,140mm when compared with the first 10 months of this year, rainfall amounted to 1,410.1mm which was a significant rise.
“Likewise, the volume of water released from January to October 15, 2023, is more than the average synthesized Annual Flow volume of 1770Mcm against a Gross Storage of 27+90Mcm.”