General Manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Adeshina Tiamiyu, has said there is no casualty left under the debris of the collapsed building on No. 63 Massey Street, Ita-Faaji area of Lagos Island.“We stopped work at 3: 00 a.m after recovering the lifeless body of a male and we are sure there is no casualty left under the debris,” said Tiamiyu. This is the sad reality individuals and children were subjected to yesterday.
Environmental problems have contributed to numerous collapses of buildings in the past and this case is no different. Overpopulation by the masses, over-consumption by the rich and poor choices of technologies and building equipment are major drivers; dramatic cultural change provides the main hope of averting calamity.
The threat from climate disruption to food production alone means that humanity’s entire system for mobilizing energy needs to be rapidly transformed. Fifteen thousand scientists have issued a dire warning to humanity about impending collapse but virtually no-one takes notice. Ultimately, our global systems, which are designed for perpetual growth, need to be fundamentally restructured to avoid the worst-case outcome.
This is not a first time occurrence in the Lagos-Island axis, as reported cases has been recorded, not the second, neither is it the 20th. We ignore fundamental warnings that are brutally simple if adhered to. Not only government but also a large number of citizens are to blame as a lot of death and injuries could have been avoided.
The system is dysfunctional but there are steps we can take to ensure we are protected and can avoid unnecessary hazards like this one. Firstly, it all begins with the kind of foundation you build for your home. In cases where the property is located around a swampy ground, a stronger foundation is required as compared to solid grounds. But having said that, one cannot overlook the fact that even solid grounds require robust foundations.
Secondly, overpopulation and in genuine approaches to housing and infrastructure should be avoided. The exponential population growth and the consequent productive activities needed to sustain mankind forces the demand to be more pressing. The quest to meet up with this demand has led to different approaches of realizing the housing and infrastructural development some genuine and some fake approached, which lead to structured of different qualities. When the quality of these structures fall below certain standards, structural failures are inevitable. In the recent years, a lot of failures are being experienced among the existing structures and those under construction. The failure rate has become as rampant that we have virtually lost count of a number of these disasters. This must stop as on a daily basis lives are endangered and put at risk.
A three-storeyed building housing a nursery/primary school has collapsed in Ita-Faji area of Lagos, with scores of pupils and others reportedly trapped underneath. There is really no excuse for stories of this sort. None whatsoever.
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