14th July, 2011
The Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) has said that the 264-millimetre rainfall recorded in Lagos was the volume expected for one full month.
Dr. Regina Folorunsho, an Assistant Director in the institute, disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
“The exact amount of the rain that fell on Sunday was meant for a whole month, but we had it in just one day.
“There was no way anyone could have prepared for such amount of rainfall,†she said.
She stressed the need for all Nigerians to brace up and be on the alert for such occurrence.
Folorunsho also appealed to Lagos residents to curb indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains.
She urged them to clear their drains regularly to ensure easy flow of water whenever it rained.
She attributed heavy rainfall to the effects of climate change and advised Lagosians whose houses were located in waterlogged areas to relocate to other areas.
“People should start relocating now because this is what we will be seeing from time to time; so people living close to the ocean must be prepared to face the menace,†she said.
NAN reports that the institute is charged with the responsibility of conducting research into the resources and physical characteristics of the Nigerian territorial waters and the high seas, among other functions.