ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF FLOODING IN NI OKE – IRA COMMUNITY

BY Ofigo Oghenevwairhe Evarister

Nigeria is the most populous Black race country in Africa and in the world with a total land area of 983,213 km2 occupied by over160 Million people: The interaction of these millions of people with their environment has left indelible mark on the landscape. 

Urbanization, deforestation, flooding, desertification, over population and all kinds of pollution are some of the resultant effects of man’s interaction with his environment. These changes result from the populace attempt to achieve their seemingly endless desire for food, shelter, recreation and infrastructural facilities and urbanization in general. This has placed a lot of pressure on the environment. 

Flooding has become the annual experience of Nigerian cities and communities, one of which is in Oke-ira community in Lagos State, where it causes economic stampede in the rainy seasons of the year. 

Effort made by the government and residents to forestall the menace has produced sub-optimal results. There is hence, the need to adopt more proactive, standard and reliable procedures that can give sustainable outcome and restore the socio-economicsgrowth of the urban community.

The increasing persistence of flood occurrences in recent times has undoubtedly attracted public awareness about the need to combat this environmental hazard to improve the economic viability of Oke-ira as a community.

ABOUT OKE _ IRA COMMUNITY
 

The royal palace, oke -ira

Oke-Ira is a small but densely populous community in Ifako ijaiyeLG area of Ogba/aguda axis.

This community was first acquired by the Eguns in the early 90's, this set of people didn't buy the land nor inherit it, but they came as a settler who needed shelter in Lagos.

Oke-Ira community flourished when Lateef Jakandestarted some development, Soon after, residents loved the growth and they decided to elect a leaders who were to represent them to the government. One of such leaders elected, was the first Baale of Oke-Ira, Chief Olaosebikan Babatunde.

Notably In 2002, the major problems highlighted by the community were Inadequate water supply, Bad roads, Poor health care poor house planning amongst others.

FLOODING

Flooding occurs also when excess runoff is created owing to the inability of the soil to infiltrate water or when the soil has reached its field capacity or saturation. The result is excess runoff which submerges the landscape. This form of flooding is particularly the case in most urban centers of the world and Nigeria in particular, where urbanization has disturbed or altered the natural process of infiltration.

In many urban cities, like Oke – ira, the dry season brings joy and relief even when the taps are dry, while the rainy season spells agonizing discomfort and the fight to keep life and property from flood devastation. In urban centers in the country, especially in the flood prone coastal areas of the country, floods has posed serious threat to life and property and rendered thousands of people homeless. (Report from National Technical Committee on Water on 5th august, 2008)

CAUSES OF FLOODING

Flood is generally caused as a result of many conditions working singly and in synergy. These conditions are mainly natural and anthropogenic in nature. Natural causes of flooding are enhanced mostly by nature of weather and landscape, while anthropogenic causes of flooding are enhanced by human activities. 

In Oke-ira community for example, the general causes of flooding, include;

HEAVY RAINFALL: Heavy rainfall is experienced in oke-ira like every other coastal region. This region is found within latitude 00to 300North and South of the equator. Rainfall intensity is very high in this region averaging about 2000mmannually.This intense rainfall is most prevalent in the rainy or wet season of the year from March to September. Heavy rainfall makes it difficult for most soils in the tropics to infiltrate rain water at the rate of rainfall intensity. 

The situation is further worsened by the amount of paved surfaces that characterize the environment which also frustrates infiltration of rain water.

Photo speak: a street in oke-ira after heavy rainfall

SOIL NATURE: The nature of the soil through which rain water flows or percolates, determines to a great extent the rate of infiltration and the volume of water that will be generated as run-off. Most soils have high infiltration capacity others have low infiltration capacity. Research shows that an average soil in West Africa reaches saturation at soil moisture storage of 200mm. this saturation is achieved mostly in September in Nigeria. This assertion implies that most parts of the Nigeria landscape especially the low relief areas are liable to flooding in September which is the peak of the rainy season.

DEFORESTATION: large scale deforestation in the forest and vegetations of the world has helped to increase the flood occurrence. This statement is made in light of the fact that forest and vegetations hold back direct rain water and release it gradually to the soil such that rainfall intensity can match the rate of infiltration. This enables proper infiltration to be achieved, discouraging flooding. High infiltration is usually maintained in the forest areas, hence removing trees and vegetations without replanting or even exploiting them in manner which out-matches its replacement or replenishment would create more floods in the world.

CLIMATE CHANGE: change in our climates has also exercabated the occurrence of floods in the world. Climate is a vital environmental factor that shapes and reshapes various human activities (Etuonovbe 2011). The united National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) define climate change as change in the climate which is attributed directly or in directly to human activities that alter the composition of the global atmosphere and which increases climate variability observed over a comparable time period (Sani-sidi 2012). The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), attributed climate change to the worst flood disaster witnessed in the country in 2012. Climate change acts indirectly to aggravate urban flooding by altering pattern of flooding in flood prone areas, thereby frustrating efforts of flood prediction (Adjugo 2009).

POOR WASTE DISPOSAL: poor waste disposal in oke – ira community causes blockage of drainage channels. These channels which are supposed to allow free flow of water are blocked with debris and most times refuse and sewages. These substances increase the bed load of the drainage channels and rivers causing them to rise. The result is rivers overflowing its bounds into adjourning flood plains. Bridges and dams are also constructed across rivers and this obstructs river flow and cause occasional flash floods.

   

Photo speak: poor waste disposal in oke - ira

POOR LAND USE POLICY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT: Poor land use policy planning and management constitute a major problem to flooding in the world especially in the developing countries of the world. Land use policies and adequate planning which should ensure proper sitting of buildings, structures, road construction, drainage construction and land use ordering, is seriously lacking in Oke - Ira. It is unavailability of these control tools that have permitted the uncontrolled development as witnessed in the community. It is unfortunate to note the inability of most developing countries like Nigeria to properly plan and order use of land which has at least promoted the occurrence of flooding or failed to control it. (Adegboye, 2011).

Photo speak: building stationed hapharzardly along a slope in oke - ira town

FLOOD OCCURRENCES

It is difficult to determine the extent of flood damages and to compare in satisfactory manner one flood with another in Oke-ira community, due to the relative tendency to over-estimate flood damages particularly at the time of the flood.

However, in 2011, Oke – ira community had a remarkable experience after flood from heavy rainfallforced a large number of them out of their homes from July 6th to 8th,not knowing that there was going to be a more devastating torrential rain that will result in more disastrous flood in the following week. 

Poor and unavailable flood prediction and flood control systems and techniques is seen as the major cause that aggravates flood disaster in a country

PHOTO SPEAK OF OKE-IRA COMMUNITY

A clogged canal in Oke - Ira surrounded by waste dispossed by residents

A make-shift drainage surrounded by waste in oke – Ira

Photo showing surrounding in Oke - Ira

Houses built on swampy/flood prone plains in Oke - Ira

Surroudings/the environment in 0ke-ira

FLOOD CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT

It is important to note that a significant and crucial factor in saving lives is in trying to control these flood occurrences or at least minimize vulnerability of some areas. It is clearly known that control and management may not provide the ultimate panacea for flood hazards in the world, but it will however provide a perspective to ameliorate its impacts on human activities, lives and property. 

Evidence presented and analysis reveal that impacts of flood on both human and natural environment is enormous. The occurrence of flood poses serious threat to socio-economic development of oke – iracommunity. It also frustrates the realization of millennium development goals particularly in Lagos State in general. Hence, some measures that may be employed in abating flooding menace in the study area include; 

Introducing thorough and skilful construction of both underground and open surface water channels to empty flood water into the receiving river. This step will be needed in reducing the amount of run-off generated given the large tarred surfaces. 

There is need for reinforcement of the practical application of flood risk map, the town planner should endeavor to constantly use these maps as guide to help them in site inspection and plan approval for construction of new buildings. These flood risk maps will help to determine areas which should be avoided in location of building for specific land use purposes that the flood risk areas can conveniently serve without many losses, for example, flood prone areas can be used for development of agriculture as well as recreational purposes. 

Throughout the centuries, man has created flood problems by cutting down trees and digging up the vegetation cover of the soil, thus increasing soil erosion and flooding. Cultivation decreases the water retention power of the soil and increases runoff. Vast land areas along rivers or streams or oceans have high water tables and thus make soil saturation very fast.Hence, if deforestation could be controlled using stringent policies and regulations, then the level of flooding especially in oke – ira communities and other cities/urban Areas would be ameliorated.

Land use planning and development control are inevitable tools for controlling urban development. In a swiftly urbanizing area like oke - ira, proper land use policies, regulations, building and development bye-laws are very necessary to check the excesses of developers and to monitor the nature of urban development.

Warning of flood plain occupant before flood occurrence will help reduce the flood damages and loses as emergency action to guide against the destructive effect of flood may be highly efficient.

Through careful environment observation, facts assertion and interviews with residents and community key players, as well as images. Results from the response of the occupants shows that majority of the people in Oke – ira community have in one way or the other experienced flood in the past eleven years.

Acording to the chief Security Officer of the community, Mr Oguntoye Sunday, In the year between 2000-2010, 2008 had the highest flood occurrences as well as 2002 and 2010. In comparism, the rainfall dataalso shows that these years were also seen to have the highest annual rainfall.

Oke-ira community is consistently experiencing slow but steady growth and expansion as well development of new areas both in the core of the city and its periphery. The increase in built up areas of the place, implies increase in the surface cores of urban landscape, leading to reduction in the infiltration capacity of the soil, thereby generating higher magnitude of runoff as compared with the pre-urbanization period. 

Increasing population has further worsened the scenario in the community, considering the fact that higher number of this population are residents producing waste which will fill up the drainage.

Huge sum of finance is spent by the federal, state and local government to reduce flood damages but despite these numerous efforts, the flood damages continue to increase. However, increased public awareness of the potential hazard of flood plain would help properly inform developers.

Government should also Endeavour to put more efforts especially in the creation of more drainage system as well as other ways of controlling flooding. Stringent land use policies and development control tools must be implemented to control development on flood plain. 

These procedures should significantly ameliorate flood occurrence and maybe flooding could be perceived as a natural phenomena and not a natural disaster.