Following the flood scare occasioned by the release of water from the Oyan River Dam by the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Authority, some residents of communities at Isheri, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State have begun to evacuate their homes, PUNCH Metro has learnt.
PUNCH Metro reports that on Saturday the residents started to witness a gradual increase in the current of the Ogun River.
The water was also said to have overflowed, spreading across areas some metres away from the river bank.
As observed by or correspondent on Monday, the areas around Long Bridge were already flooded while some of the residents expressed fear over what they described as another round of flood crisis in their communities.
Meanwhile, as of Wednesday, the water level had continued to rise, displacing residents in the flood-prone area.
Our correspondent specifically observed that some residents of Lekki Gardens, Queens Garden, and Airport Estate have started leaving the area.
A resident of Queens Garden who identified himself simply as Mr Ayinde said the residents started to move out of the estate in the last 24 hours.
He said, “There is a lot of water everywhere now. While some are still contemplating when to leave, others have already started moving out. The evacuation started in the last 24 hours, the moment we discovered that our estate had become flooded. I am also leaving anytime soon.”
Another resident, Tomiwa Olowu, said he had moved his family into a hotel away from the community.
“I moved my family into a hotel close to Berger. I have also moved some of my property because they got damaged in the flood last year.”
In a video sent to our correspondent by one of the residents, a fallen electric pole could be seen lying in the flood water. A resident who spoke in the video said this was caused by the flood. He also described it as one of the devastating effects of the imminent flood crisis.
Another resident, who pleaded anonymity, raised the alarm that the situation was taking a turn for the worse while demanding the government’s intervention.
“We don’t pray to experience what happened last year but the reality is gradually dawning on us. What we are experiencing now is beginning to look like we are close to having a similar experience. The government has to do something urgently.”
The Chairman of Riverview Estate, Abayomi Akinde, also confirmed that there was an ongoing evacuation.
“The estates inside Riverview are flooded already. The water had already started entering people’s houses. It is not like they are being proactive by running away. Nobody is going to die before the death comes. The moment the water starts entering their various compounds before it gets to the point where they are not able to drive their vehicles out, they quickly have to start leaving.
“The government should do other things to complement what is going on here, knowing that there are lives who were impacted and it is more painful for those of us that the government put here. We bought the land from them.”
