Ibadan Stadium flooding is an opportunity in disguise, By Engr Tunji Light Ariyomo, FNSE

The Adamasingba stadium Ibadan is a thing of beauty. Then it got flooded on its maiden outing.

Flooded pitches are actually not so uncommon especially with the volume of rainfall amidst our 3rd world infrastructure assets. The rain caused flooding in other places as well. With dozens dead, a similar flood is wrecking greater havoc in New York as I type.

What should however bother us is our response as a people. Yes, the response in particular of the government and that of the project consultant to what we think is an embarrassment. This is because, the situation presents an opportunity in hydrological engineering and surface runoff management. The following are the specific steps I expect them to now take in the matter of the flooded pitch:

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1. Allow various professional interest groups and engineering students and trainees to visit the site in the next one week without any remedial work. The purpose is knowledge. Let video recordings and photographs be taken etc as part of a potential disaster study and for documentations. Be very certain that there is adequate documentation. Such a body of knowledge would become sure-fire assets that could sure save multiple billions, and possibly prevent deaths, in both Oyo State and the rest of the country in future.

2. Then reappraise the drainage design for within and outside the stadium and the effectiveness of points of discharge.

3. Afterwards, commence immediate removal of the artificial or natural tuft.

4. Then provide an adequate cross-gradient to promote surface drainage on the pitch. This is tricky if the technician is inexperienced. The supervisory engineer and technologists must be on top of this. This is fundamental to any surface work in civil engineering.

5. Ensure that there is an even grade with no depressions. Also, ensure that water run-off from surrounding areas on to the pitch is prevented.

6. The contractor must now provide secondary drainage installation to prevent any water collection on the pitch. This could be located at the edge of the field in manners that may not even be too obvious to users. If however there is already in existense a secondary drainage, then the contractor should check for blockages and free them.

7. Finally, put in place a robust day to day maintenance routine to prevent possible future blockages.

Again, as already stated, waterlogged pitches as it happened in Adamasingba is fairly common. The experience itself will now become a learning curve to engineers. In no time, the engineers in charge would become the local authority on pitch development and management in Nigeria if they address this current problem as a surmountable piece of engineering challenge.

I give kudos to the Governor of Oyo State for the job done that led to the transformation of the stadium in the first instance. This flooding is a temporary setback that can be converted to a learning curve advantage.