By Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS—Ahead of the much expected heavy rainfall this year, Lagos State Government, yesterday, said the state will experience a rainy season of about 236 days with intermittent breaks between March and November 2012. It urged residents to complement the state’s de-flooding project by ensuring unblocked drainages.

State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, stated this in Lagos, at the presentation of year 2012 seasonal rainfall prediction by Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET and its socio-economic implication for Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general.

Urging residents not to panic at any flash-flood whenever it rained, Bello said: “This year’s rain is expected to be accompanied with a lot of storms, likely leading to falling of trees, street lights, poles and communication masts.”

He explained that the magnitude of the state’s seasonal rainfall prediction for this year “is that Lagos will experience heavy rain fall with serious intensity just like last year. Lagos is expected to record 1279 mm with marginal error of 50 mm.

“A  total length of rainy season for 2012 is approximately put at 236 days with a marginal error of 2 days. The implication is that Lagos will experience a rainy season of about 234-238, with intermittent stoppage between March and August 2012.

“A break is expected in between, while the rain will start again in late August or early September, before the rainy season finally ends in November. So, the end of rainfall is November 12, with marginal error of two days between November 10 and 14.

The global climatic occurrence point to one undisputable fact which is that climate has changed and we are all living witnesses to the disasters that occurred through flooding, tsunamis, cyclone and windstorms among others in some parts of the world.”