We Can Control Climate Change Effects, Says Essang

Extreme weather events and hazards brought on by climate change are occurring more frequently in cities and one of the most difficult of these problems to solve to lessen losses and damages in urban and rural settings is flooding, says renowned Lagos-based architect and learned expert, Effiong Essang.

“As architects, we can repel the worries of climate change in 3 ways; consultancy to the client, employment and usage of sustainable and resilient building materials, and effecting long-lasting, reliable solutions through ethical and recognized methods in our trades.”

Essang believes that at the very minimum, an architect has to ensure that their buildings are constructed above the groundwater levels. Having in mind that in Nigeria, Lagos especially, flash flooding is a common norm, a building that has the involvement of an architect should be able to stand against this occurrence for a long duration of time.

Unfortunately, less than 30% of buildings in Nigeria have the full involvement of architects as most landlords would rather engage underskilled builders than go through the right evaluations and practices.

“Admittedly, even architects have limits. For instance, most areas where flash floods occur are usually in low-income areas where architects were neither employed nor consulted and the building structure was not approved by the government. High-income areas like VI, VGC, and Parkview estate in Lagos also have occasional flash floods and are prone to the effects of climate change due to the rise in sea levels, blocked drainages, and the failure to provide the environmental necessities.”, says Essang.

In constructing a building, architects can implement a conscious design of buildings in flood-prone areas with structural details that include the integration of different technological solutions. However, in addition to taking such structural measures, non-structural measures such as regulating constructions through building codes and providing flood insurance for buildings in flood-prone areas can be done to support a building’s strategies for flooding.

“Constructing your buildings above the groundwater/sea level is the most basic way an architect can prevent flooding. While no one has little to no say when these floods would occur, the government also has a huge role to play in urban and regional planning. Like it was done in Uyo, the government has to create a series of pumping stations and underground drainages to move water from one place to another easily.”