THE WATERING HOLE
FLOODING:
Where the storm water drainage channels on the streets of Lagos are not blocked, they are nonexistent. Subsequently, during the raining seasons when this part of the world experiences torrential downpours: our streets become flooded; cars are damaged; traffic complications develop; losses are incurred in the hundreds of millions from property damage to flooded homes and businesses; and hygiene becomes a major issue as the flood water mixes with effluence from soak ways and septic tanks.
Since it is not feasible to retrospectively introduce an underground storm water sewer system to cater for the whole of Lagos, it is proposed that these large underground water reservoirs are constructed beneath our roads and pavements, and linked to the existing road drainage system. They will hold vast volumes of rainwater, thereby alleviating the burden on the existing overwhelmed storm water drainage systems.
FIRE:
Aside from simply acting as storm water reservoirs, The watering hole could also possibly serve as a fire-water tank. Fires break out in very remote areas of Lagos, and one of the major problems the fire fighting authorities face is gaining access to these burning buildings. The fire fighting engines and the accompanying water tanks are sometimes too large to navigate narrow streets, and more often than not, they spend hours held up in Lagos’s eternal traffic.
Where there is an available water source for the authorities to tackle the fires, all the trained fire-fighters need to do is show up at the inferno location with pumps and hoses – equipment which can be ferried to the disaster locations on more mobile motorcycles.
Other possible uses of strategically placed water reservoir tanks: soft landscaping irrigation; available water source for construction sites; if connected to a water treatment plant, water could also be used for domestic purposes.