How poor mangement of Solid Waste aggravates Lagos flooding

LAWMA worker and a child dumping refuse into LAWMA refuse truck

cart pusher

Avoidance of unrestrained and indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) into drainage channels is a bold step in checking perennial flooding in Lagos State.

This is so as the blockage of drainage channels by solid wastes is identified as one of the major causes of flooding in the metropolis.

According to a report tiled "Coastal Cities at Risk" which is the result of research on vulnerability of world big cities to flooding, Lagos is among 10 cities most vulnerable to flooding , and ineffective management of solid wastes was identified as a factor.

The report explains, " One of the grave environmental challenges bedeviling metropolitan Lagos is indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste, (MSW). Although a number of structures and non-structural measures have been put in place to ensure MSW-free city, the struggle to disentangle metropolitan Lagos from the menace of disposing MSW in unregulated places remains elusive, owing to increase in waste generation caused by intractable population growth and subsequent poor collection by government agents".

"The unrestricted and indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste into drainage channels and their consequent blockage was identified as one of the major causes of perennial flooding in the metropolis.

"Owing to the failure of Lagos State Waste Management Authority, (LAWMA) and its agents to adequately collect generated waste, the city residents not only resorted to patronizing cart pushers who dumped waste on any available space and in drainage channels, but also directly dumped in swamps and canals thereby causing flooding".

"A total of 222 points where Municipal Solid waste (MSW) blocked drainage channels along 126 streets were identified. These blockages caused flooding that resulted in morbidity, mortality, damage to infrastructure and loss of property and livelihoods".

"In 2011 when only 17.6% of MSW generated was collected coincided with the Lagos flood disaster in July of the same year".

 "About 10,000 tons of solid waste is generated daily at 0.7kg per capita, according to the Laos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, 2014.  Inadequate collection of MSW makes its generation dreadful. The collection rate reported by the LAWMA in 2014 was 43%".

"Costal Cities at Risk Report" in 2014 revealed that a total of 77,757,749.8 tons of MSW was generared between 2007 and 2013 in Lagos State but only 21,550,809.73 tons (27.7%) was collected an deposited at 6 landfill sites (collected from LAWMA statistics). Laxity in the rate and frequency of MSW collection in Lagos makes MSW to be found in unauthorised places instead of the designated sites".

"The reported concluded that, " Urban managers in metropolitan Lagos need to adopt effective and sustainable waste reduction strategies , introduce aggressive waste recycling modalities, and intensify collection rate as part of effective management of flooding in the city".