Flooding: Lagos Pledges To Expand Drainage Channels
• Saraki Commiserates With Victims
Lagos State government yesterday said it would mitigate the adverse impact of the continuing downpour on residents.
This comes as chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Dr Bukola Saraki commiserated with victims of the recent flood disasters in some states of the Federation.
Saraki, yesterday, in Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital, said his committee and other relevant authorities had perfected that would alleviate the suffering and hardship the flood could have caused the victims.
He said he received the news of the flood with sadness, just as he said the pictures of the disasters are shattering. The states of Nassarawa, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos were recently affected by flood caused by heavy downpour. Experts had said there would be heavier rainfalls in July.
Already, his committee had summoned relevant officials at the Ministry of Environment to provide reports on the flood and action they were taking towards addressing it and preventing future recurrence.
He advised citizens of the affected states to exercise caution and work with the appropriate authorities to manage and prevent further damage to lives and properties.
Unconfirmed reports, as at press time, pointed to, at least, one incidence of building collapse in Lagos State.
Saying that it anticipated the challenge, the State Government gave the assurance, particularly to those living in Oko-Oba Agege area and environs, that it would expand drainage channels and canals so as to contain the massive rains and flood expected within the next two weeks.
State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello made these declarations shortly after inspecting drainage channels in the suburb to access the impact of last Thursday’s 10-hour downpour.
Residents in the area, who earlier got the wind of Bello’s visit, trooped out en masse to narrate their experiences, while lamenting that the Oko-Oba drainage channel had become incapable of contending the massive flood occasioned by the rain.
On measures to check flooding in the State, Bello said: “Don’t forget that we anticipated all these problems that is why we are prepared. This government has always anticipated problems, that has been our strategy. Last year, we knew that this was coming, that’s why we emphasised the need for them to clean up and by January, we started telling people about the rain and that by June and July the rain would hit peak period.
“Now, we have attained the peak period now and I don’t want to say the kind of rain we had last year, will not be compared to this year, it depends, but for us, the emphasis is for us to be prepared. We have told those in the living in the low line areas this is the time to vacate temporarily.”
But on the travails of residents in Agege, Bello explained that the Oko-Oba canal was developed in 1989 to suit the capacity of residents at the time, saying that population increase and the impact of climate change were among the factors that created the challenges of flooding witnessed in the area during the last heavy rainfall in the state.
“The kind of rain we were having 20 years ago is not the same now and don’t forget when that channel was created, they took cognisance of the population of that area. Over the years now, the population has increased; we now need to expand the channel to cater for the population, Secondly the volume of water coming is so much that because the drainage was done a long time ago, it was designed to take a certain amount of water, and now because the water is so much automatically, it has affected the channel”, Bello explained.
Promising that the government will commence rehabilitation of the canal and increase its capacity in order to effectively address the challenge in the area, the commissioner assured, that the government will “Go back and rehabilitate the channel and then increase the capacity to reinforce the bridge and the concrete line”.
He attributed the challenge of flooding on the Abeokuta Expressway on inability of the manholes under the expressway to contain the amount of water coming from Oko-Oba area urging the federal government, “to quickly go there and put bigger manholes to accommodate the amount of water coming from the channel.”
Bello also tasked residents to use the monthly environmental sanitation exercise to clean their environment saying it is their civic responsibilities and must not wait until they are told before they perform the responsibilities.
“Some people were washing clothes in front of their houses while their drainages are dirty, I believe our community leaders must be told and must be willing to assist the government to mobilise the residents.
“People are not just willing to comply, they live in their own world, its only when they have problem that they remember the government. We will be able to achieve so much if we join the government to clean up our area. Some of the problems we saw were man-made, they need to be awake to their responsibilities and we appeal to the community leaders. Our Local government chairmen should also help us to mobilise the people in this regards.”
Lagos State government yesterday said it would mitigate the adverse impact of the continuing downpour on residents.
This comes as chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Dr Bukola Saraki commiserated with victims of the recent flood disasters in some states of the Federation.
Saraki, yesterday, in Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital, said his committee and other relevant authorities had perfected that would alleviate the suffering and hardship the flood could have caused the victims.
He said he received the news of the flood with sadness, just as he said the pictures of the disasters are shattering. The states of Nassarawa, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos were recently affected by flood caused by heavy downpour. Experts had said there would be heavier rainfalls in July.
Already, his committee had summoned relevant officials at the Ministry of Environment to provide reports on the flood and action they were taking towards addressing it and preventing future recurrence.
He advised citizens of the affected states to exercise caution and work with the appropriate authorities to manage and prevent further damage to lives and properties.
Unconfirmed reports, as at press time, pointed to, at least, one incidence of building collapse in Lagos State.
Saying that it anticipated the challenge, the State Government gave the assurance, particularly to those living in Oko-Oba Agege area and environs, that it would expand drainage channels and canals so as to contain the massive rains and flood expected within the next two weeks.
State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello made these declarations shortly after inspecting drainage channels in the suburb to access the impact of last Thursday’s 10-hour downpour.
Residents in the area, who earlier got the wind of Bello’s visit, trooped out en masse to narrate their experiences, while lamenting that the Oko-Oba drainage channel had become incapable of contending the massive flood occasioned by the rain.
On measures to check flooding in the State, Bello said: “Don’t forget that we anticipated all these problems that is why we are prepared. This government has always anticipated problems, that has been our strategy. Last year, we knew that this was coming, that’s why we emphasised the need for them to clean up and by January, we started telling people about the rain and that by June and July the rain would hit peak period.
“Now, we have attained the peak period now and I don’t want to say the kind of rain we had last year, will not be compared to this year, it depends, but for us, the emphasis is for us to be prepared. We have told those in the living in the low line areas this is the time to vacate temporarily.”
But on the travails of residents in Agege, Bello explained that the Oko-Oba canal was developed in 1989 to suit the capacity of residents at the time, saying that population increase and the impact of climate change were among the factors that created the challenges of flooding witnessed in the area during the last heavy rainfall in the state.
“The kind of rain we were having 20 years ago is not the same now and don’t forget when that channel was created, they took cognisance of the population of that area. Over the years now, the population has increased; we now need to expand the channel to cater for the population, Secondly the volume of water coming is so much that because the drainage was done a long time ago, it was designed to take a certain amount of water, and now because the water is so much automatically, it has affected the channel”, Bello explained.
Promising that the government will commence rehabilitation of the canal and increase its capacity in order to effectively address the challenge in the area, the commissioner assured, that the government will “Go back and rehabilitate the channel and then increase the capacity to reinforce the bridge and the concrete line”.
He attributed the challenge of flooding on the Abeokuta Expressway on inability of the manholes under the expressway to contain the amount of water coming from Oko-Oba area urging the federal government, “to quickly go there and put bigger manholes to accommodate the amount of water coming from the channel.”
Bello also tasked residents to use the monthly environmental sanitation exercise to clean their environment saying it is their civic responsibilities and must not wait until they are told before they perform the responsibilities.
“Some people were washing clothes in front of their houses while their drainages are dirty, I believe our community leaders must be told and must be willing to assist the government to mobilise the residents.
“People are not just willing to comply, they live in their own world, its only when they have problem that they remember the government. We will be able to achieve so much if we join the government to clean up our area. Some of the problems we saw were man-made, they need to be awake to their responsibilities and we appeal to the community leaders. Our Local government chairmen should also help us to mobilise the people in this regards.”
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