By Jamiu Abubakar, Lagos
As Env. Comm. Tunji Bello, Joe Igbokwe tour affected areas in Lagos
Lagos State Government on Monday sympathized with residents of the state that have been negatively affected by the rise in sea water level and continuous torrential rainfalls, saying it would do everything humanly possible to mitigate the effect.
Speaking through the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello who in company of the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Mr Joe Igbokwe led other senior officials of the ministry on the tour, stated that more attention is being paid to clog-up canals and other constriction across the state.
Speaking with residents of Osborne Foreshore Estate 1 in Ikoyi, Bello said the unprecedented rise in sea water level was responsible for the flooding of some streets in the Estate.
He explained that the situation was more grave over the weekend , adding that the streets that still remained flooded till now were as a result of depression of the roads which the residents must redress to gain traction.
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He advised them against pumping water out of the streets now because the sea level is still high and that until it goes down, nothing much can be achieved.
The Commissioner and his team also visited Gbagada where he inspected several streets including Fred Omojola street where a canal has been affected by tidal waves.
He listed some of the measures to be adopted to include lining of the canal and cleaning up all the drainage channels to allow water flow freely.
He charged the property owners in Gbagada to come together and aggregate all their drainage problems in writing, bringing same forward to the State Government for a roundtable meeting.
The Commissioner and his team were also at Aboru where the team was received by a large number of residents and went on to inspect the canal in the area.
He gave an assurance that the State Government will dredge the Aboru canal as a first step towards safeguarding the lives of residents.
He reiterated his call for all residents to desist from dumping refuse into the drains and endeavour to bag their waste properly for LAWMA to cart away as the Lagos State government is ready to seek a permanent solution to the environmental challenges as soon as the rain subsides.
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