LAGOS – Lagos State Government has commenced a three- phased flood management programme, which it said would ensure minimal level of flooding across the state during this year’s rainy season.
Government said the measure had become necessary to forestall a reoccurrence of last year, July 10, long hour rainfall, which flooded parts of the state and killed several people and destroyed property worth millions of naira.
This came barely two weeks after rainstorm killed about 15 people, including 10 school children and destroyed several property across the state. There had been predictions that this year’s rain would be accompanied by more strong wind.
State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, unfolded the plans during an e-presentation titled; Plan of the Ministry of the Environment to Maintain Primary, Secondary and Some Tertiary Collectors for the year 2012, before the state House of Assembly, in response to the invitation on urgent matters affecting public interest after the rainstorm of February 13, in the state.
The presentation commenced with a review of the ministry’s activities in 2011 and plans towards consolidating on the efforts in 2012.
Responding to questions on the floor of the House, Bello promised to ensure that no project was abandoned as well as assured that all hands were on deck to ensure that the incidence of flooding was reduced in the state.
The strategy adopted, he said was to identify all the flood prone areas in the state, after which the ministry embarked on massive cleaning, maintenance and dredging of all collectors across the state, which was complemented by the drainage maintenance officers and emergency flood abatement department with their all year learning programme.
He explained that the state did not suffer heavy flooding despite the high intensity of the rain recorded last year “because our channels were working.”
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