To avoid a repeat of the flood that occurred in 2022, the Ogun state government has requested the Federal Government’s support in its flood mitigation scheme, particularly in installing a concrete liner on all secondary erosion trunks.
Mr Dapo Abiodun, the state governor, made the plea while receiving the Presidential Technical Committee on Flood, which was on a fact-finding visit to the state in Abeokuta.
Abiodun, who was represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya said that adding a concrete liner will improve the hydrodynamics of the secondary trunks that are continually dredged by the state government, reducing floods, particularly in metropolitan areas.
Read also: Gov Diri makes budgetary allocation for flood relief in Bayelsa
“Since we came to power in 2019, we have put many measures in place to manage and mitigate it,”he was quoted as saying. “These measures are the establishment of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority with over eighty per cent waste collection efficiency, which reduced significantly”.
Speaking further, he said “dumping of waste into drainage channels and waterways as well as stopping residents from building on flood plains across the state will help mitigate this problem,”. “An environmental permit from the Ministry of Environment which is in conjunction with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development must be obtained before the commencement of any building project,”.
The governor urged the FG to consider other measures to assist state governments and communities in managing and mitigating floods, applauding the Buhari administration for its bottom-up approach to addressing the country’s flooding concerns.
In his response, Godstime James, leader of the delegation said that the committee was in the state to look at flood-prone areas in order to find long-term solutions, adding that their reports would be presented to the Federal Government for proper action.
This story was adapted from Punch.
