Flooding:Ogun govt vows to demolish buildings on waterways.

ABEOKUTA: As part of efforts to find lasting solutions to the perennial flooding that ravaged Ogun and Lagos States, the federal government on Wednesday, said it will commission a committee that will undergo a comprehensive study of communities ravaged by flooding in Ogun and Lagos States, to fully understand what needed to be done to avert future occurrence

This is just as the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun assured residents of the affected zones in Isheri community, Ifo Local Government Area that the state government will be demolishing building and any other structures that may be sittings on the waterways in order to pave way for free flow of water into the Lagoon. This is just as the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun assured residents of the affected zones in Isheri community, Ifo Local Government Area that the state government will be demolishing building and any other structures that may be sittings on the waterways in order to pave way for free flow of water into the Lagoon.

These were part of the decisions arrived at by the federal government’s delegation, an on-the-spot assessment visit of the affected community.

The delegation, led by the state governor, Abiodun, Minister of the Environment, Dr. ‘Kunle Salako and his counterpart in the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev visited the affected community to convey President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s message of sympathy to the affected residents, some of whom have been relocated to the premises of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and that of the Nasrulahi Ilfathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) in the area.

Addressing the affected residents, who converged at the Isheri office of the Ogun State Property Investment Corporation (OPIC), Salako said it was important for the Federal Ministry of Environment to undertake a comprehensive study of the flooding challenge in order to enable governments to understand the type of permanent solution to embark on.

He admonished the residents to be more environmentally responsible, particularly by not building on the flood plains, clearing the drainage and ensuring that wastes generated are properly disposed of.

Salako however, disclosed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, as well as all other relevant emergency response agencies have been activated to provide a necessary palliative for the affected residents in order to alleviate their sufferings.

In his address, the Minister of Water Resources, Utsev disclosed that the committee set up by federal government to work on the challenges of flooding across the country had visited the state and observed some salient challenges in the flood-affected areas.

While disclosing that the committee would soon incorporate representatives of the affected community to work with it, Utsev also expressed optimism that the flooding challenge, orchestrated by the effects of climate change would be overcome in no distant time. In his own address, the State Governor, Abiodun said the state government will soon begin re-channelization of the drainages in the community as part of the measures to find a permanent solution to the flooding challenge in the state.

The governor, however, appealed to the residents to be patient with the state and federal government so as to be able to achieve the”lasting and sustainable solutions” to the problem.

He appreciated the President for responding swiftly to his government’s call to find an immediate solution to the flooding problem.

Abiodun pointed out that with a well-designed drainage master plan and proper channelisation of rivers, the region could effectively manage excess water flow and prevent it from affecting the residents.

The governor, however, stated that any building built on a drainage channel would be pulled down to allow for the free flow of water.