Several hours of torrential rains on Tuesday triggered severe flooding in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos, causing a major power outage after water submerged parts of a key transmission station.
Ikeja Electric announced on Wednesday that severe flooding at the Oworonsoki 132/33kV Transmission Station had affected two power transformers and several 33kV/11kV feeders, resulting in power outages across multiple areas.
The affected feeders include Oworo, Bariga, Alapere, Gbagada, Pedro, Anthony, Ifako, Agboyi, Araba, Hospital, and Bakare, among others.
The DisCo said it was working closely with the Transmission Company of Nigeria to restore supply as soon as the transmission facilities are back in service.
The heavy downpour from Monday has caused major flooding in many parts of the crowded city, including in highbrow districts such as Lekki and Victoria Island.
Videos on social media showed inundated homes and businesses as well as submerged major roads and cars. A viral social media video also showed residents paddling wooden canoes through floodwaters in the upscale Lekki district.
A resident of Okota area of Lagos told AFP that people used canoes to evacuate their flooded homes.
“The rain has taken over my house,” 54-year-old trader Rukayat Saidu in Amukoko, another district of Lagos, told AFP. “All my appliances have been destroyed.”
The coastal city of more than 20 million people has long grappled with clogged waterways, fuelled by indiscriminate waste disposal, weak government waste management and urbanisation.
“Annual flooding in Lagos is caused by heavy rainfall, inadequate drainage, clogged gutters laden with debris, and fast urban growth that hinders natural water absorption,” climate change expert Olumide Idowu told AFP.
The city is among those facing the brunt of climate change on the West African coast, where sea levels are rising, rainfall is becoming more erratic and urban populations are booming.
Nigeria’s meteorological agency cautioned on Monday that “continuous rainfall may result in flash flooding in coastal and low-lying communities.” In a forecast earlier this year, it warned of above normal rainfall, with a delayed end to the rainy season.
In 2022, floods killed at least seven people in Lagos. Ghana has also reported worsening flooding this week, recording at least 12 deaths after a day of rain.
