The rainy season in Lagos is not a good sight to see. People and cars have to move through water that is knee-deep. Houses are either submerged or completely destroyed.
The Nigerians are accustomed to these floods in March-November. The floods in Lagos in July caused a lot of trouble in the last few years.
These floods cost the city dearly, $4 billion every year, and people posted the images and videos on their social media handles.
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Lagos lies on the Atlantic Coast of Nigeria and is quite low. Scientists say that it might become unlivable before this century ends due to the rising sea levels. This problem is escalating due to poor drainage systems and rapid urbanization.
The Lagos Coastline Is Eroding
Lagos is built on islands as well as on the mainlands. It observes a coastline that is eroding and makes the city vulnerable to extreme floods.
One of the main contributors to this erosion is sand mining. The riverbank is being washed into the water and the rise in water is taking more land away.
Developers are planning to build a city called “Eko Atlantic” on reclaimed land and protect it from the water level by a wall, 8 km long.
Manzo Ezekiel, a spokesman for NEMA, feels that this project could pressurize other coasts even though it reduces the homeless issue.
Submerged Coastal Cities
Due to global warming and a rapid rise in sea level, floods could render 300 million homeless. The sea levels are expected to rise by 6 feet before 2100. Lagos lies at a height of fewer than 6 feet and is under threat of being submerged.
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Environmentalist Adebote believes that we should give priority to this prediction and take respective actions to avoid this massive disaster.
Deadly Floods In Nigeria
Many people have been displaced or found dead due to these floods. 69 people have passed away due to the floods in the previous year. 2019 caused 200,000 people to be affected and saw 158 deaths.
The climate changes, improper drainage, sewer systems, and street gutters have rocketed its challenges.
Adebote states that Nigeria needs to look at its infrastructure and construct them to be adaptive to the rising population.
Nigeria has struggled with its economy and a small fund for its fight against climate change. The respective authorities in Lagos are still doing their best to push the country up against fighting climate change.
