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Africa's most populous city could soon be uninhabitable due to rising sea levels

2021-08-02T15:48:09.259Z


Lagos may become uninhabitable by the end of this century as sea levels rise due to climate change, scientific projections suggest.


Greenland thaw threatens sea level 0:53

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -

Cars and houses submerged in water, passengers splashing knee-deep in floods to reach buses and owners calculating the cost of their destroyed properties.

Welcome to Lagos in the rainy season.

Residents of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, are used to the annual floods that hit the coastal city from March to November.

However, in mid-July, Lagos Island's main business district experienced one of the worst floods in recent years.

"It was very bad and unusual," Eselebor Oseluonamhen, 32, told CNN.

"I left my house ... I didn't realize it had rained so much ... There was a lot of traffic on my route due to the flooding. The further we went, the higher the water level. It rose until it covered the bumper. out of my car ... then there was water flowing into my car, "recalled Oseluonamhen, who runs a media company in Lagos.

Every year !!!!

Same same in Lagos !!


Nothing is ever done about flooding but to tell citizens to move .....


Pls keep your saloon cars at home o.


Even SUVs dey swim 🏊‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/bN31UuLOzK

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- Kate Henshaw (@HenshawKate) July 16, 2021

Photos and videos posted on social media showed dozens of vehicles flooded with water after torrential rain.

The floods paralyze economic activity, at an estimated cost of around US $ 4 billion per year.

Lagos, a low-lying city on Nigeria's Atlantic coast, and home to more than 24 million people, may become uninhabitable by the end of this century as sea levels rise due to climate change, scientific projections suggest.

The problem is compounded by "inadequate and poorly maintained drainage systems and uncontrolled urban growth," among others, according to a study led by the Institute for Development Studies.

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The Nigerian Hydrological Agency (NIHSA) has forecast more catastrophic floods in September, usually the peak of the rainy season.

Eroded coast

Lagos is built in part on the mainland and a series of islands.

It is dealing with an eroding coastline that makes the city vulnerable to flooding, which, according to Nigerian environmentalist Seyifunmi Adebote, is attributable to global warming and "human-induced action over a prolonged period."

Sand extraction for construction is a major factor contributing to coastal erosion in Lagos, environmental experts have said.

Manzo Ezekiel, a spokesman for the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told CNN that the riverbank of Victoria Island in Lagos is already being "razed ... particularly in Lagos area VI."

"There is a problem that the river bank is being washed away. The rise in the water level is eating away at the land," Ezekiel added.

On Victoria Island, a thriving neighborhood of Lagos, an entirely new coastal town dubbed 'Eko Atlantic', is being built on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean, and will be protected from rising waters by an 8-kilometer long wall. built of concrete blocks, developers say.

While the ambitious project could help reduce housing shortages in other parts of the city, Ezekiel fears that "reclaiming land from the sea will put pressure on other coastal areas."

Other critics have argued that adjacent areas not protected by the wall will be left vulnerable to storm surge.

CNN has reached out to Eko Atlantic for comment.

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Coastal cities at risk of being submerged

Low-lying coastal cities in some parts of the world may be permanently submerged by 2100, study findings showed.

The study published by the Climate Central research group indicated that affected areas could sink below the high tide line if sea level continues to rise.

"As a result of heat-trapping pollution from human activities, rising sea levels could drive three-decade chronic flooding over land that is currently home to some 300 million people," the study said.

"By 2100, the areas that now host 200 million people could permanently drop below the high tide line," he added.

Global sea levels have been predicted to rise more than 2 meters by the end of this century.

This leaves Lagos, which according to experts is less than two meters above sea level, in a precarious state, given that part of the Nigerian coast is low.

In a 2012 study, the UK's University of Plymouth found that a sea level rise of just 1 to 3 meters "will have a catastrophic effect on human activities" in coastal environments in Nigeria.

Adebote told CNN that the fate of Lagos "would depend on how we prioritize this scientific prediction and the corresponding actions we take in response."

"It is only a matter of time before nature puts pressure on it and this could be a disaster," he added.

Deadly floods in Nigeria

Perennial floods in coastal areas of Nigeria have left many dead and dozens displaced.

According to NEMA data, more than 2 million people were directly affected by the floods in 2020.

At least 69 people lost their lives in flood disasters last year.

In 2019, more than 200,000 people were affected by the floods with 158 deaths.

"Every year we witness floods in Nigeria. It is a problem that has brought climate change and we are living with it," Ezekiel told CNN.

Beyond Lagos's vulnerability to climate change, poor drainage systems and clogged gutters across large stretches of the city are believed to have intensified flood problems.

"As much as climate change influences sea level rise, what can be seen in this video is predominantly a drainage system problem," tweeted one social media user while reacting to a video of the recent floods. in Lagos.

However, as flooding increases in some areas, low-income neighborhoods built on reclaimed wetlands have to contend with sinking buildings.

They were trapped in a subway flooded 1:12

Keeping Lagos afloat

Adebote told CNN that for Lagos to stay afloat in the face of flooding and rising sea levels, it must adapt to climate change.

"We need to look at our infrastructures: drainage systems, waste management facilities, housing structures ... How resilient and adaptable are these infrastructures in the face of environmental pressures and when do they come alongside our growing population?" He said.

Aerial view of Lagos, Nigeria, in April 2016.

Lagos authorities have since begun cleaning up the state's water channels to mitigate perennial floods.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has also expressed the country's willingness to partner with global allies to address climate change.

"We look forward to working with President [Joe] Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris. We have great hope and optimism in strengthening existing cordial relationships, working together to address global terrorism, climate change, poverty and improve the economy ties and trade, "Buhari wrote in a January tweet.

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But Adebote says the government's responses to climate action "have been largely deficient."

"There is much that needs to be done and consistent and deliberate action will be taken by various stakeholders for Nigeria to take appropriate climate action, especially to adapt to the impacts that are already threatening our livelihood," he added.

An environmental activist, Olumide Idowu, urged government authorities to partner with the private sector to boost funding to address the problems.

"The government should consider private sector associations to push for climate finance to solve flood problems," Idowu told CNN.

Nigeria's economy has struggled in recent years, reducing funding for climate change and other critical sectors.

However, the authorities are still committing to accelerate the country's response to climate change.

Last month, Nigeria's Ministry of the Environment announced presidential approval of a renewed national policy on climate change, aimed at addressing "most, if not all, of the challenges posed by climate change and climate vulnerability in the country, "wrote a Ministry spokesperson in a Twitter post.

Nigeria

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-08-02

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