Over the years humanity has encountered so many challenges but we have always handled them innovatively whether using technology or primitive means. The task of existence and survival has never been a day’s job for man because problems come from natural and man made phenomenon which has always kept man on his toes.
Flood is a very common natural disaster In almost every part of the world, making it a masterpiece and a very huge topic for discussion. In as these disasters could be caused by natural reasons and man made reasons, man has always found it impossible to escape from situations like that. If it doesn’t happen naturally it will happen by the cause of man. To elucidate, I’d highlight a few situations that really causes flooding, one major factor is poor drainage system and that gets blocked or not functional when there’s so much refuse from man that are improperly disposed or it could also happen when the drainage system isn’t properly built or simply undersized so when there’s a heavy rainfall it wont be able to contain the water flow.
Another major factor is poor or unplanned urbanisation which is very common her in west Africa. In areas like Lagos island it is highly recommended to build houses without proper urban planning (laughs), I said so because the priority is more of building more houses to be rented out for momey than preserving the environment and working on a green atmosphere. You could have 5 massive houses built next to each other without having any space for drainage holes or even a water pump in the house, that’s to tell you how poor urban planning can be Thats why I earlier said bad urban planning is highly recommended (lol).
Let’s not forget about deforestation which is also a huge factor, if there are enough trees more water would be absorbed into the soil also rivers could overflow when nearby rivers or streams exceed their capacity.
Now what’s the bone of contention ? Invention.
Over the years the above highlighted issues are a pain in the ass so then I’ve been thinking about a one time invention that could change the narrative forever in west Africa. invention helps by creating smarter infrastructure, eco friendly solutions and community driven tools or equipments. How do I mean?
just as a high percentage of this issue is imposed by man, the solution too should be more of man power than natural correction or repair, we don’t have to wait for Mother Nature. One invention I thought about would be self cleaning gutters or underground drains that flush out waste by itself without any control or assistance from man so that it doesn’t get choked up to accommodate water and also make it flow freely to wherever the excess water would be channeled to. The excess water causing our estates to be flooded could be used for farming! We need those crops to survive and the crops need our excess water so it is mutual just like how we give plants carbon dioxide and get beautiful O2 in return(oxygen).
Also we could start embracing roads made with materials that let water soak through instead of pooling. Now I know this may sound strange but it could be real, in some other parts of the world like Japan they have even movable road tracks to reduce traffic congestion, how nice is that? If that is to futuristic for us Africans we could stick to other methods like harvesting the excess water for some reason or planting more trees to absorb water.
Personally i want to build a floating walk way system that doesnt sink but instead lives above the water, achieving that across west africa would earn me the title ‘flood killer’.
Thanks for reading
Wealth Grammy