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Lagos State government yesterday warned residents of flood-prone areas to be ready to vacate their homes for safety reasons.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, and the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, who gave the warning, said flooding could not be completely eradicated in the state owing to its geographical location.
This was as some residents in areas like Itire, Idi-Araba, Obafemi Awolowo Way in Ikeja called on government to urgently intervene in the persistent flooding in their communities.
The residents said their properties and lives were constantly being threatened by flood.
But Bello and Igbokwe allayed fear on the intense downpour, saying measures were already in place to address the challenges posed by incessant rainfall as witnessed in the state in the last three days.
They said efforts were being made to continue to clean and maintain the drainage channels.
Residents and commuters at Itire, especially those close to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, are usually threatened by rainfall.
But allaying their fear, Bello and Igbokwe said residents should be assured that irrespective of the volume of the rainfall, it would flow through the drains to discharge into the various channels.
Bello said that while relevant government agencies were on red alert for any unforeseen incident, residents must be vigilant and promptly report cases of indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels and unauthorised places as well as other incidents of drainage blockage to the relevant agencies.
The commissioner also advised Lagosians to be safety conscious during this period, urging them to take some safety measures such as to avoid going out during the rains except when absolutely necessary and be conscious when driving and not over-speed.
On his part, Igbokwe advised Lagosians to remain calm and not panic as the rainfall currently being experienced in the state was a natural outcome of climate change and had been predicted by the Nigerian Metrological Services (NIMET).
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), Mrs. Idowu Mohammed, has affirmed the readiness of the agency to implement all the relevant laws aimed at achieving a cleaner, hygienic, aesthetically respondent environment through total conformity in line with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Law 2017.
She said that part of the function of LAGESC was to monitor and maintain surveillances along the highway, streets and public amenities as well as to report regularly any breach of the provisions of the Environmental Laws to the appropriate enforcement authorities.
Mohammed added that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was passionate about the safety of lives and cleanliness of environment.
Hence, he directed the LAGESC officials reposed with the mandate to effectively clamp down on all violators of environmental sanitation laws in the state to adequately protect the lives and the environment at large.
The executive secretary also emphasised the risks associated with neglecting the use of pedestrian bridges.
This, according to her, impedes free flow of traffic as well as unnecessary loss of lives as a result of hit-and-run by the motorists.
Mohammed noted that the distance from the pedestrian bridges where arrests could be made by LAGESC officers against erring pedestrians crossing the highway was pegged at 200 metres. (New Telegraph)
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, and the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, who gave the warning, said flooding could not be completely eradicated in the state owing to its geographical location.
This was as some residents in areas like Itire, Idi-Araba, Obafemi Awolowo Way in Ikeja called on government to urgently intervene in the persistent flooding in their communities.
The residents said their properties and lives were constantly being threatened by flood.
But Bello and Igbokwe allayed fear on the intense downpour, saying measures were already in place to address the challenges posed by incessant rainfall as witnessed in the state in the last three days.
They said efforts were being made to continue to clean and maintain the drainage channels.
Residents and commuters at Itire, especially those close to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, are usually threatened by rainfall.
But allaying their fear, Bello and Igbokwe said residents should be assured that irrespective of the volume of the rainfall, it would flow through the drains to discharge into the various channels.
Bello said that while relevant government agencies were on red alert for any unforeseen incident, residents must be vigilant and promptly report cases of indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels and unauthorised places as well as other incidents of drainage blockage to the relevant agencies.
The commissioner also advised Lagosians to be safety conscious during this period, urging them to take some safety measures such as to avoid going out during the rains except when absolutely necessary and be conscious when driving and not over-speed.
On his part, Igbokwe advised Lagosians to remain calm and not panic as the rainfall currently being experienced in the state was a natural outcome of climate change and had been predicted by the Nigerian Metrological Services (NIMET).
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), Mrs. Idowu Mohammed, has affirmed the readiness of the agency to implement all the relevant laws aimed at achieving a cleaner, hygienic, aesthetically respondent environment through total conformity in line with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Law 2017.
She said that part of the function of LAGESC was to monitor and maintain surveillances along the highway, streets and public amenities as well as to report regularly any breach of the provisions of the Environmental Laws to the appropriate enforcement authorities.
Mohammed added that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was passionate about the safety of lives and cleanliness of environment.
Hence, he directed the LAGESC officials reposed with the mandate to effectively clamp down on all violators of environmental sanitation laws in the state to adequately protect the lives and the environment at large.
The executive secretary also emphasised the risks associated with neglecting the use of pedestrian bridges.
This, according to her, impedes free flow of traffic as well as unnecessary loss of lives as a result of hit-and-run by the motorists.
Mohammed noted that the distance from the pedestrian bridges where arrests could be made by LAGESC officers against erring pedestrians crossing the highway was pegged at 200 metres. (New Telegraph)
