Flood Control: Lagos Govt warns residents against clogging of drainages
The Lagos State Government has warned residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainages to prevent avoidable flooding with attendant threat to lives and property.
The state government therefore, charged residents to compliment her year round cleaning of all primary and secondary channels by also cleaning tertiary drains that run across residences regularly.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, made the appeal on Friday, following heavy downpour which resulted in flash flood across the metropolis.
Bello, urged residents to always ensure the cleaning, clearing and dredging of all major collectors for proper discharge.
Speaking against the background of the heavy rainfall experienced on Friday, he said “a change of attitude is desired from the residents to prevent flash flooding.”
Bello added that the non-chalant attitude of some residents in this regard is causing some drawbacks for the successes recorded by the state government in flood control.
“Regrettably, even commercial concerns and companies are also guilty of not cleaning their drains but would rather leave them, waiting for the Government to undertake the task,” he said.
According to Bello, “Investigations by officials of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, round the state after Friday’s rainfall revealed that flash flood occurred as most tertiary drains were blocked with refuse thus spewing water onto the roads.
“This portends great danger when tertiary drains are littered with refuse as this could bring about unexpected destruction and fatalities.”
He therefore, urged local governments to step up enforcement of infractions as it concerns tertiary drains that are not cleaned.
Bello added that part of what could be done is to increase the number of environmental health officers to monitor the drains on a regular basis.
He assured residents that many hours after each torrential rainfall, the water disappears because of the improved state of the drains round the state.
Vanguard
