CLIMATE FACT CHECK: Lagos is NOT below sea level
An aerial view of Lagos Island — photo credit: Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
By Lanre Olagunju
CLIMATE FACT CHECK: Lagos is NOT below sea level
David Aworawo, professor of international relations and strategic studies at the University of Lagos, recently asserted that Lagos is below sea level.
He made this statement during an interview on Arise News, where he is a regular guest on the Sunday Live Show hosted by Reuben Abati.
While analysing the flood warning issued by the government to 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), along with the recent heavy flooding in Lagos state, Aworawo said a permanent solution to the flooding problem is unlikely, adding that there’s no definitive fix; “it can only be managed”.
David Aworawo, professor of international relations and strategic studies at the University of Lagos, recently asserted that Lagos is below sea level.
“An attempt to manage it will reduce the damage as a result of the flooding, but it doesn’t seem like something that has a cure so to speak.
“I say this because there are states in Nigeria that are below sea level. Lagos for instance, there is nothing the government will do that will make flooding not happen, but there is a lot the government could do to reduce the flooding and by implication, reduce the damage the flooding could do.”
But this is not the first time social commentators and government officials have claimed that Lagos is below sea level.
In a media chat in February, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu addressed the challenges of governing the state and defended his record since taking office in 2019.
“We are below sea level, and this is nature that we cannot do anything about,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He explained that Lagos is below sea level. When discussing the flooding issues, he mentioned that there wasn’t much his government could do proactively due to natural factors like heavy rainfall and climate change.
“We are below sea level, and this is nature that we cannot do anything about,” the governor said.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Coastal cities worldwide face sea level rise, flooding, and storms due to climate change. The threats have evolved from affecting only wildlife to posing significant existential risks to humans, prompting various levels of government to develop policies to mitigate these effects.
Lagos is a low-lying city on Nigeria’s Atlantic coast. The economic capital of Nigeria is struggling with an eroding coastline, leaving it susceptible to flooding and ocean surges, making it the most at-risk city in Nigeria for climate change impacts.
Climate experts attribute the increased vulnerability of the weather to global warming and long-term human activities such as obstructing drainage systems and constructing along water channels, which collectively contribute to higher flood risks.
IS LAGOS TRULY BELOW SEA LEVEL?
Below sea level implies that the land is at a lower elevation than the ocean’s surface.
In other words, if you drew a line from the ocean’s surface to the land, the land would be below that line. Due to the elevation difference, areas below sea level are more prone to flooding, as water naturally flows from higher to lower regions.
Nine of Nigeria’s 36 states border the Atlantic Ocean, and 25% of the country’s population resides in these coastal states. Lagos, a coastal city, is bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean.
Reviewing credible sources with a compilation of places below sea level, Lagos was not mentioned in any of them.
WorldAtlas identified several places in Africa that lie below sea level, Lake Assal has been identified as the lowest point on land across the continent. This lake, situated within the Afar Depression, is specifically located in Djibouti.
Lagos is not listed among places below sea level in Africa according to WorldAtlas
Some other notable locations in Africa are the Qattara Depression in Egypt, the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, Sabkha Tah in Western Sahara, Sabkhat Ghuzayyil in Libya, Chott Melrhir in Algeria, Shatt Gharsah in Tunisia, and Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha in Mauritania.
Furthermore, Geology.com, a geoscience news and information platform, listed thirty-three countries across the globe with land areas below sea level and neither Nigeria nor Lagos was on the list.
Geology.com does not list Lagos or Nigeria as below sea level in its global listing of such places.
On the list, the lowest depressions are Israeli and Jordanian shorelines of the Dead Sea which are both 408 meters below sea level. Some of the highest depression was found to be in France and Poland, approximately measured at 2 meters below sea level.
The flood map analysis for Lagos shows the elevation data compared to sea level ranges between 1 and could be as high as over 30 meters in some areas. Coastal and lagoon-adjacent areas have elevations of approximately 1 meter, while higher elevations were recorded further inland.
Olusosun which is close to Alausa, has an elevation of about 23 meters.
Research predicts that global sea levels will rise over 6 feet (2 meters) by the end of this century. Climate Central’s study indicates that low-lying coastal cities could be permanently submerged by 2100 if current trends continue, with areas sinking below the high tide line.
Human activities, alongside climate change, contribute to the increasing sea levels and flooding risks. Lagos, situated less than two meters above sea level, is particularly vulnerable, and experts stress the urgent need for action to prevent potential disasters.
Shakirudeen Odunuga, a PhD holder specialising in Geography and Planning at the University of Lagos, disputed the claim, stating that there is no research evidence to support it. However, he clarified that “Lagos is a low-lying terrain vulnerable to flooding and coastal surges.”
“Lagos is not below sea level,” he said while pointing out areas in the state exceeding 20 meters in elevation, alongside coastal regions ranging from 1 to 3 meters above sea level.
“It would be incorrect to state that the entire state is below sea level.”
Additionally, he mentioned that 80% of the recorded floods are fluvial and flash floods. He pointed out that if Lagos were at or below sea level, floods from the Atlantic Ocean would have more severe consequences.
The claim that Lagos is below sea level is FALSE.
Credible sources do not list Lagos as below sea level. Elevation data shows Lagos ranges from 1 to over 30 meters above sea level, with higher elevations inland. Experts say the city’s low-lying terrain makes it flood-prone, but it is not below sea level.
