Kudos To Lagos Environment Ministry

For sometime now, the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of the Environment, has embarked on measures to prevent flooding of the state following prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) that coastal areas will experience heavy rainfall this year.

Specifically, the Federal Government funded NIMET predicted that rain will fall for 234 days in Lagos and some will be heavy.

Since Lagos State falls within the coastal areas, the state government has embarked on massive environmental sanitation measures to prevent the type of huge flood witnessed last year which destroyed lives and properties in the state.

As a first measure, the government embarked on the construction of new drainages, expansion and clearing of the existing ones in flood prone areas of the state. Beginning from last year, identified flood-prone areas became huge clearing sites with caterpillars and pay loaders moving up and down, removing objects that block drainage channels and other illegal structures preventing free flow of water.

These areas were identified by the state Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello and his officials. They include Agege, Surulere, Ilasamaja, Ikoyi, Shomolu, Bariga, Oko-Oba, Abule Egba, Oke-Odo, Abattoir, Mushin, Idi-Araba, Ikeja and others. By touring these areas, the officials were able to appreciate the problems better and proffer solutions.

Some residents whose houses were built on drainage routes were asked to vacate them and drainages built to allow for free flow of water.

Apart from this, the government also embarked on cleaning and clearing of gutters and canals overfilled with refuse and other wastes using workers of the Flood Abatement Gang in the Drainage Services Department of the Ministry of the Environment. Members of the gang, to our delight, work night and day, clearing the blocked gutters and drainages in different parts of the state. Unlike before when the silts collected from the gutters are left on the sidewalk and pavements for long, this time around, they are removed immediately they are dry.

Taking NIMET’s warning seriously, the ministry also appointed resident drainage engineers in all the local governments to monitor the drainages and ensure that they are not blocked. The resident drainage engineers are also tasked with clearing the gutters and primary drainages and report to the ministry if there is any danger to residents as a result of flooding.

Right now, the ministry has embarked on advocacy campaign to warn residents on the need for them to desist from throwing their refuse into the cleared drainages or block the gutters.

Mr. Bello and his officials have been moving around the state to sensitise residents on the coming rains and the need for them to clear their gutters. The commissioner also asked them to take the warning by NIMET seriously so as not to be caught napping.

It is cheering news to observe that Lagosians have started taking this warning seriously and have started cleaning and clearing their gutters. We commend Mr. Bello for his pre-emptive measures to tackle flood in the state.

However, we urge him not to go to sleep yet as the rains are around the corner and unforeseen circumstances can render all these measures ineffective.

One area we want to draw his attention to is the ongoing construction of drainage at the Agege abattoir complex by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA. The construction is taking too long and causing a lot of hardship for commuters and motorists plying the route. Strangely, because of the construction of drainage FERMA’s incompetence has led to a substantial damage of the road.

The commissioner should impress it on whoever is in charge that Lagosians are suffering a lot on that route and something urgent should be done to alleviate this. The commissioner should also look at the foul odour emanating from the abattoir and do something about it before it causes epidemic in the area.