Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Tunji Bello, has said the Lagos State will experience 240-270 days of rain 2020.
He urged residents in the State to prepare for likely consequences of 240-270 days rain with the 2020 rainfall predicted to begin in March 19 and end November 22.
Bello made this known at a news conference on the 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Predictions and Prevention of Flooding in Lagos, held at the Ministry’s Conference room on Tuesday.
According to him, it is necessary to inform Lagos residents about the 2020 rainfall prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).
“Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) is to allay fears of residents and prepare them ahead for the likely consequences of the rain,” he added.
Bello said that rainfall prediction for Lagos in 2020 was a near-normal one, saying that Ikeja was expected to have about 1,526 millimeters, while Badagry was 1,759 millimeters.
According to him, Lagos with 1,714 millimeters, Ikorodu with 1,690 millimeters and Epe with 1,730 millimeters.
The commissioner said that before the rainy season, a couple of rainfall was expected to occur which would be enormous and tend to give a false start to the rainy season.
“Lagos Island is expected to have a rainfall onset date of March 19, with an error margin of three days, while its cessation date is expected to be Nov. 26.
“It is also expected that Lagos Island will have about 252 days of rainfall and about 1,714 millimeters of rainfall over the year.
“It can be deduced that Lagos State shall experience a rainy season of 240-270 days, while the maximum annual rainfall is predicted to be 1,750 millimeters.
“Year 2020 will likely experience days with extremely high rainfall amount which may result in flooding.
“Another contributory factor to possible flooding in the state is sea level rise.
“This poses the biggest risk to coastal areas and the state’s drainage infrastructure, as anytime there is high tidal movement, it may “lock up” the discharged points of drainage channels and until it recedes, there will be no discharge.
“Such occurrences also caused back flows, resulting to flooding but as soon as the Lagoon recedes, all generated storm water run-off will immediately discharge and our roads will be free,” Bello said.
He assured Lagos residents that the state would continue to reap the gains of planning, as the flood control measures in the state had been stepped up to contain any unforeseen weather condition.
The commissioner added that relevant measures had been put in place in preparation for the 2020 rainy season.
