Flood threatens Lagos community

Flood at Ilasa yesterday

The afternoon rain of yesterday threw vehicles plying Apapa Oshodi express road to the usual flood at Iyana Itire, a suburb of Lagos.

The attendant traffic jam that started shortly after Cele bus stop stretched to the flood area at Iyana Itire.

Efforts by commuters to evade the traffic snarl by taking the service lane proved abortive as both the express and the service lanes were jammed.

The spot is notorious for traffic jam any time it trains and yesterday occurrence was somehow unprecedented.

According to a civil servant, Olayiwola Edun, who was caught in the traffic jam, “traffic jam always occasioned by flood in this Iyana Itire is not new. It appears rain is starting early this year, but the situation can only be regarded as one of the effects of climate change.

“One would have expected the government to be proactive by ensuring that the bad spots that always cause traffic snarl due to flood whenever it rains at Iyana Itire had been put right before this time.

“It is a common occurrence anytime it rains and I believe the government has been aware of the problem. Government officials do drive through this axis and even if they do not, information might have reached them one way or the other because when it happens like this, it is always traumatic.

“Whenever it rains like this towards the evening, it is always unimaginable what people that went to work pass through. After the day’s work, some people still spend hours in the traffic and before they get to Oshodi to face the traffic of other areas before getting to their various destinations, one can imagine the type of stress they would pass through.

“Rehabilitation of roads during dry season is very important and the government does not need to wait until it starts to rain before embarking on this exercise. We are appealing to the government to address the problem on this axis before the June rain comes.

“Government should not even wait till June before attending to the bad roads in question as well as other areas of with similar problem since we are subject to climate change. Authorities concerned should please come to the aid of those plying Apapa Oshodi express road by addressing the cause of incessant traffic jam, always occasioned by rain at Iyana Itire axis”.