LASG promises end to flooding on Lagos Island before end of July

Lagos State government on Wednesday assured that by end of July, completion of work on a mega pumping station being constructed in Ilubirin will permanently address the issue of flooding on Lagos Island.

Speaking with newsmen after an assessment tour of the level of work on the pumping station located in the Ilubirin Estate, Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Mr. Nurudeen Shodeinde said when completed, the station will address the perennial flooding issues in Adeniji, Oroyinyin, Idumagbo, Ojo Giwa, Jankara and environs.

According to Shodeinde, construction work on the mega pumping station is expected to be concluded by the end of July and will permanently solve the problem of back flowing of water from the Lagoon to the listed areas causing the water to remain stagnant.

He stressed that three mega turbine pumps with the capacity to pump three million litres of stormwater per hour will be installed at the station to continuously pump water into the Lagoon.

He explained that the big turbine pumps are designed to function automatically and self-operating while being powered majorly by public power electricity which will be backed up with a 350KVA generator with the capacity to pump any accumulated water.

The permanent secretary stressed that the major problem responsible for flooding is the depressed nature of the affected areas which makes it difficult for water to naturally drain into the Lagoon, adding that the situation prompted the state to also construct a new rectangular drainage outlet at the Ilubirin end which is higher than the sea level.

He explained that water is moved either by gravity or by pumping, bearing in mind that Lagos Island is the lowest-lying part of the state and has made it difficult for water to flow into the lagoon, hence a pump which is 20 by 20 metres in length and breadth and 6 – 7 metres deep into the ground will be created where the three turbine pumping machines will be installed thereby creating artificial energy to pump the stormwater out into the Lagoon.

He explained further that the turbine pumps which are individually four metres high will be installed deep into the water to maintain the temperature of the coils of the pump with a discharge point that is created higher than the level of the Lagoon, adding that after the completion of the project, there will be no record of water flowing back from the Lagoon into the communities.

Shodeinde said the mega pumping station project would replace the temporary wall embarkment constructed at Ilubirin that was aimed at preventing the backflow of the Lagoon.

He stressed that what was being experienced in Adeniji and environ can also be regarded as one of the effects of climate change, saying, though, Lagos has been projected as one of the sinking cities of the world, however, no government will fold its hands and allow such projections to occur.

He thereafter advised residents of Lagos Island to desist from dumping refuse into the drains and canals, urging them to take ownership of their environment by moving against individuals who are in the habit as this has become a major contributor to flooding in the state.