Lagos Govt Appeals For Understanding Over Flooded Roads

Lagos State Government on Wednesday appealed for understanding of residents of the state as it ramps efforts to free up clogged drains and mop up floods that have taken over many streets and roads across the state, urging them not to panic or resort to panicky measures.

In a statement signed by the State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, the State assured the residents that succor will soon come as the state is deploying more flood abatement gangs to major trouble spots to free manholes and some clogged up drains to complement the major contractors handling the cleaning up of major drains.

He explained that engineers and top officials of the Ministry have also gone around the state in the last three months to ascertain the true state of all primary, secondary and tertiary drains and compiled a report which is part of what will serve as a guide to future steps

He said in addition and to make the data so gathered more inclusive, the Ministry also released a phone number to the public to send in the picture about the state of the environment in their neighborhoods and that the response has been very overwhelming.

He appealed to the people to desist from dumping refuse into the drains, adding that de-silting of the drains have been compounded by the activities of residents who have turned many major drainage channels into refuse dumps including tertiary drains in the

He also reiterated the warning issued to all property owners who have built on setbacks of drainage channels or drainage alignments to remove all such structures as they constitute major impediments to the free flow of water into the various drainage channels.

Bello emphasized that the Ministry in conjunction with other agencies will ensure that the residents of the state do not experience a repeat of the flooding of the roads, streets, and homes brought about by the near-total neglect of the maintenance of the drainage channels in the last three years anymore.

He said the poor state of the drainage system has also affected the road networks despite the continuous rehabilitation of the roads by the State Public Works Bureau, re-echoing the promise of the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu that massive rehabilitation of the roads will commence immediately the rains subsided