ESV Toyeshe Lawal, Director of Estate, Town Planning and Survey at the Oyo state Housing Corporation (OYSHC) has enumerated ways in which professionals in the housing sector can help in flood mitigation in real estate investment.
Lawal noted that real estate requires a huge amount of money which must be kept secure in order to enjoy the aim of estate development.
He made these known in his contribution to a publication titled ‘Mitigating Flood Risk Against Real Estate Investment’, a copy of which was made available to newsmen on Monday, in Ibadan, state capital.
He said that flood mitigation involves the management and control of water movement such as redirecting flood run off away from the property.
His words: “One of the ways to mitigate flood risk is through property insurance valuation. Insurance, covering both direct and indirect damage can be used to offset the financial risk associated with flooding and allow businesses time to recover.
“Estate surveyor should see the roles and potential roles which falls into two phases, pre and post flood, in terms of new developments in building or reinstatement design and land use planning. A regulatory role for licensed professionals must be ensured for new developments in the flood prone area.
“Home and land buyers in the flood areas should be encouraged to engage a licensed professional to accurately determine property and floor levels.
“It is advised to use databases and geo-technical engineers who ‘usually have good knowledge’ because they advise on the construction of floor slabs and know whether an area is flood affected. With regard to land-use planning the built environment professionals should consider flood risk and adopt appropriate development types (e.g. industrial) along with suitable design and construction qualities (e.g. elevated construction) when building or renovating buildings in flood prone areas.
“Built environment professionals should also consider building typologies and be aware that some are affected more than others. Design with the raised floor provides good airflow under the building to attenuate humidity and high air temperatures; it also provides good protection against flood for small premises. Multiple storey commercial buildings allow for implementation of facilities management and adaptation advice.
“Estate surveyors and valuers should properly keep property under his management in good repair and check at regular intervals, drainages, gutters, and rain spouts. Feasibility study will assist in making decisions at the conceptualisation stage of engaging in real estate development in a flood prone area.
“During construction, observation of adequate setback and use of standard or qualitative building materials should be major concern of an estate surveyor and valuer as the project manager.
“An estate surveyor and valuer should also encourage his or her client to review insurance policy on their properties as and when due for adequate redemption in case there is disaster as a result of flood.”
Lawal also enumerated the roles of the public in flood mitigation while urging the authorities to ensure that the information concerning flood prevention and protection plans is transparent and easily accessible to the public.
