Following the torrential rainfall that left lagos communities under water, the state government has explained the flooding in Ikorodu.
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Also, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, when contacted to react to the development, said that due to the reality of climate change and other factors, residents would continue to experience flash flooding situations
He restated the government’s commitment to ramp up its capacity by providing resilient infrastructure across the metropolis as succour.
He lamented the rate at which drainage systems were flagrantly encroached and clogged up by the illegal activities of residents and estate developers across the metropolis.
Wahab, who alluded to the torrential rainfall that lasted over 12 hours in Lagos, especially as it affected some parts, said remedial measures were immediately implemented.
Ikorodu
The Commissioner said: “What happened in Ikorodu was that the contractor had been on site and dammed the downstream to allow the construction to go on.
“He didn’t know it was going to such a magnitude of heavy rains. When it started raining, the government appealed to him to free the downstream sector, so that the storm water would recede and people could have their normal lives back.
“I would like to say again that various drainage contracts have been awarded while contractors mobilised and they are still at various sites. Drainage construction is ongoing across areas in the state. So, what we cannot circumvent is to allow contractors to give us a substandard job.
“By and large, we expected the rains and as a government, resilient measures were in place.
“We have been doing massive advocacy, and we keep doing the advocacy. I would like to reiterate that the present administration has been ramping up the provision of drainage infrastructure statewide.
“And that’s why we can say to anybody that, yes, we won’t lie to residents. We are going to experience flash flooding.”
Wahab cited areas around the Lekki axis, particularly Agungi, where a family, through its estate agents, encroached on drainage channels for the development of an estate, describing it as “unacceptable.”
…orders demolitions in Lekki
The commissioner also ordered the demolition of several buildings on drainage channels at Mehabond Estate, Lekki area, to ensure free flow of stormwater.
On the Iwaya flooding, Wahab said: “Iwaya is low lying and at the discharging point to the lagoon. That’s why they will continue to experience flash flooding.”
As part of efforts to prevent flooding during the rainy season, the commissioner, who spoke during an inspection of drainage channels and flood-prone locations in the Agungi-Ajiran, Gravitas, and Ikota areas of the state, on Sunday, warned that government would no longer tolerate encroachment on drainage corridors, floodplains and natural water channels, “all illegal structures found on such alignments will be removed regardless of ownership.”
He said: “We are not going to tolerate any form of encroachment on the alignments, floodplains and our discharging point for stormwater. Whosoever you are, we don’t care whose ox is gored, and we shall remove those contraventions immediately, starting from tomorrow.
“We are giving them the go-ahead to remove and open up our channel to the lagoon. That will start immediately.”
Speaking on the observation at Gravitas Road, Wahab said officials observed alleged illegal reclamation of wetlands around Graceland Estate.
He noted that wetlands serve as nature’s sponge by retaining water during heavy rainfall, warning that unauthorised reclamation destroys the ecosystem and worsens flooding.
Wahab alleged that most of the developers encroaching on the wetlands have no building approvals.
“The wetland is nature’s sponge, holding water. Now they are destroying the wetland, destroying the ecosystem, and trying to reclaim the lagoon without approvals.
“We said to the estate, whoever it is, stop the work and let us see your paperwork. We are certain they don’t have any,” he stated.
Ikota River
Speaking on the Ikota River, the commissioner explained that officials observed that a private developer was allegedly reclaiming part of the river without the required approvals.
He said the government had insisted that all reclamation activities must observe the approved setback of between 150 and 200 metres to preserve the river’s natural flow.
“We noticed somebody under the name of Megamond is trying to push back the Ikota River and narrow it into a stream. The Ikota River discharges all the outlets on this corridor into the lagoon.
“All those structures done on that portion without approval, we shall remove them immediately and restore our setback,” he said.
