Aerial view of Eko Atlantic City
Following the pointing of accusing fingers on the Eko Atlantic City project for the recent flooding of Victoria Island, Lekki, and other adjoining areas, South Energyx Limited, owners of the luxury development has exonerated itself from the disaster.
The managing director of the company, David Frame in a statement said: “The Eko Atlantic project neither contributes nor interferes with the drainage of Victoria Island or Lekki. In the current stage of development, the site has minimal hard surfaces, meaning that most of the rain water infiltrates into the sand.
“When fully developed, the topography and infrastructure of Eko Atlantic is designed to manage all the stormwater through an internal drainage system with a major central canal that connects to the sea. This ensures that no additional surface water will enter Victoria Island or Lekki.”
Frame noted that the stormwater drainage of Victoria Island and Lekki is designed to drain towards the Lagos Lagoon, as such the presence of Eko Atlantic does not interfere with this in any way whatsoever.
“Furthermore the general topography of Victoria Island slopes towards Ikoyi, this is readily observed along Akin Adesola Road linking Ahmadu Bello Way to Ikoyi via Falomo Bridge; the slope is clearly discernible. The city has been designed to protect Victoria Island and parts of Lekki from coastal erosion and flooding.
“The construction of the project is carried out in line with international best practice. The company works with notable companies who have executed similar projects in other countries. One such company is Royal HaskoningDHV, the appointed marine engineers for the Eko Atlantic Project. The team is on ground to monitor the daily progress of works and ensure compliance to International standards.
He revealed that Eko Atlantic City has constructed over 6 kilometres of the 8.2 kilometre long “Great Wall of Lagos”. “It is a revetment which serves as the defence structure. The basic principles of revetment, as a proven engineering solution for river and coastal protection, have been used for centuries, if not millenniums, around the world. The sea wall is designed and tested to handle the worst storms in a hundred years, putting into consideration global warming and rising sea levels,” he added.
•Marc Philips