I would start today’s blog by thanking everyone who celebrated my birthday yesterday. I really appreciate the good wishes, the prayers and the gifts . Thank you.

The rains

July has been a rainy month, and it seems a day can't go by without it raining. It is currently raining as I am typing this. I’m not complaining of the rains as they play a very important role in sustaining life on earth.

But this time of the year is always difficult for some people who live in areas prone to flooding and also those who commute or living in areas with bad or untarred roads. The ground becomes muddy and it can be hellish commuting in such a situation.

I live in a country where there are a lot of untarred and bad roads, I would count myself lucky that I live in a community that isn’t prone to flooding, and there is easy access in and out of the community during rainy season. But this isn’t the case for a lot of people.

Even in dry session some people find it difficult to commute in and out of their community. Now imagine how such community would be like in rainy season. The huge and deep pot holes would be filled with waters.

Who is to be blamed for this dilemma? In my humble opinion both our government and the citizens are to be blamed.

Let use the most populated state and the commercial capital "Lagos" as an example. In the city of Lagos almost all the commercial and uptown sections of the city has tarred roads. This can’t be said of areas regarded as downtowns.

What causes flooding

Illegal structures and lack of planning

One of the major causes of flooding is blockage of waterways. There are lot of cases whereby people build illegally in places where they are not suppose to build, doing so blocks the water path and can make a community prone to flooding.

Some communities have lack of proper or approved area planning and as a result they get prone to flooding

So you see that while it is the duty of the government to be on the watch for violators, the truth is that the government can't know what is happening everywhere and everytime.

Blockage of drainages

Another major cause of flooding is blockage of drainages. Every road needs gutters be it single or double to drain water away from the roads. In my country a lot of people have turned the drainages (gutters, canals) to dump site; where they throw their dirt in. It is really appalling.

Drainages are meant to be free without any substances apart from water. But in my country most drainages are filled with refuse mostly composed of plastics bottles, nylons and different kinds of waste that you can't imagine. All these blocks the drainages and when it starts raining the road get flooded and thereby affecting houses and shops nearby.

I have never experienced flooding in my area, but I have seen countless of times and been to flooded areas. I have seen family or friends houses being flooded by water and it is a very pathetic sight to behold.

In other countries where flooding happens, it is most times natural or something not caused by the locals. Situation like heavy rains or natural disaster like typhoons or tsunamis, or too much of water being released from a nearby dam or the river overflowing etc.

But in my country most of the flooding incidents are man made in nature. Some can be as a result of lack of drainages, or blockage of drainages

The solution

Like I said earlier the issue is caused by both the government and its citizens. If the government play their roles well; by building drainages and canals and the citizens also play their role by ensuring that the waterways are not blocked by dirt and debris or illegal building of structures along or on the waterways. Then we would have a community free from incessant flooding.

Thank you for reading. Have a flood free rainy season