Contrary to the relief that rainfall brings, residents in Bariga area of Lagos State have been experiencing untold hardship due to heavy flooding in the community whenever it rains.

According to experience of residents in the area, anytime it rains, as much as the people are excited, they are always confronted with the fear of witnessing another  unprecedented flooding.

Only few days ago, there was anxiety in the community because of huge pool of water that gathered right from Idi Aba B/stop down the road to Oloja street after a heavy rainfall in the area.

Narrating their ordeal, residents of Olorunkemi street, just along the Oloja street, explained how they have always dreaded the rainy season because of  what they always go through in the area whenever it rains.

“Recently, a girl was almost washed away by the flood, that is how massive it is here,” one of the residents in the area, Mrs Kuburat, said.

“The major problem we have in this community is the canal at Bajulaiye because when it overflows, it caused a lot of flooding to places like Oloja.

“And when this happens, it caused a lot of flooding in the area.

“Though there have been several appeals to the community heads to do something about this development but nothing seems to be forthcoming,” Mrs Kuburat lamented.

Another resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, while corroborating this stance explained that “whenever it rains, the water from Ladilak, Adesina and other streets flow straight down to Oloja.

“This is because Oloja is like a valley where everything that happens on the upper side of the area settles.

“This is getting out of hand because only few days ago, we were informed that it took the intervention of an elderly man to rescue a girl who was almost washed away by the flood  in their area.

“As a matter of fact, somebody had been carried away by this flood before, that is the reason people are always careful to move around whenever it rains heavily here.”

It was gathered from a witness of one of such torrential rainfalls that roads in the area got flooded immediately it started raining, leaving no room for vehicular movement.

Buildings with no stairs are the most affected as water often mounts up into them as occupiers try to swoop the water out, a resident informed.

“The water comes directly into our compound as soon as the roads get flooded,” another resident, David Seyi told reporter.

“The canal seems to be the biggest trouble for us here, the damage has been unprecedented but we are hopeful that something drastic would be done as soon as possible,” he added.

As the rainy season is gradually coming to an end in the country, residents in Bariga stated that they would be relieved from the horrific experiences they have been facing since the raining started months ago.

They however, called on the heads of the communities in the area to start putting structures in place now that would check the heavy flooding in the area before next year’s raining season in other to protect lives and properties of residents in the Bariga area.