Blocked drains expose Victoria Island area to flood

Knitted with standard tarred roads, beautifully planted trees and comely flowers, Victoria Island, Lagos State, is home to posh companies, plazas, eateries and commercial banks patronised by elites.

However, some residents said the sight of blocked drainage channels, stagnant water and dirt on many streets in the area were becoming difficult to ignore.

Our correspondent who toured Adeola-Odeku, Anifowoshe, Akin Adeshola, Saka Tinubu and Agoro Odiyan streets on Saturday observed that almost all the drainage channels on the streets were host to debris such as palm fronds, planks and plastic bottles, among others, obstructing the flow of water.

It was also noticed that food canteens, corn frying and fruit selling shops were located along some of the mosquito-breeding water channels. Some residents said the sight was not only irritating, but also nauseating.

A security officer of a company on Saka Tinubu Street, Mr. Michael Tam, told PUNCH Metro that the poor state of the drainage channels exposed workers in the area to malaria and other kinds of diseases. He urged the government and company owners to collaborate and work on the blockade.

“There are no good drainage channels for water to pass whenever it rains. When we clear our side, others will refuse to clear theirs. So, we decided to leave it like this because it will still get flooded when it rains. Company owners, especially foreign investors here, believe they are paying taxes to the government; so they feel unconcerned about the drains.

“It is time the government and the companies came together to solve this problem at least for the sake of us that are workers. You cannot just be in this environment without contracting diseases. We do medical checkup and treat ourselves every month as precautionary measures,” Tam said.

A resident on Adeola-Odeku, Mr. Abubakar Muhammed, said the water that gushed from the two adjacent canals on the street whenever it rained usually flooded the road.

He said, “The major cause of flood on this street is these two canals. You need to see how the road will be full of water when it is raining. Part of the dirt you are seeing around results from the flood.”

A security man on Anifowoshe Street, Mr. Mohammed Grema, who spoke on behalf of the residents, lamented the blockade caused by the abandoned substation mounted on the drainage beside the building, adding that several complaints lodged to power authority proved abortive.

“The owner of this house, has written several letters to the electricity office to remove this bad transformer, yet nothing is done. The transformer has been here for a long time and it is obstructing the water,” he said.

Our correspondent also visited the Obalende area of the state. At a junction that links Igbosere Road, Moloney and Araromi Streets, residents decried the volume of wastewater in the area.

One of them, who identified himself simply as Tosin, said, “Government must address the issue of flood in this area. It is gradually weakening our houses.”

When contacted, the Permernent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Mr. Muyideen Akinsanya, said the affected drainage channels belonged to the local government areas.

“Such household drainages are secondary and they are under the care of the local government area. The state government is responsible for primary drainages like the one on Awolowo Way, Lagos Island,” Akinsanya said