By Oluwatoyin Adegoke
Residents of flood-prone areas in Ogun State have been charged to relocate and adopt safety measures against flooding in view of experts’ prediction that some parts of the state will experience flash and urban flooding this year.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya who announced this at the State Flood Alert News Conference in Abeokuta, said the warning was premised on the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET.
The Commissioner also announced the government’s plan to construct proper drainage channels, mini bridges and culverts, in identified flood-prone areas across the three senatorial districts, as part of measures to address the situation.
He encouraged the people to take advantage of the newly introduced Drainage Permit, to guide intending businesses to appropriately discharge their stormwater into final discharge points and guide residents against building on flood plains and wetlands.
The Commissioner gave the assurance that the state would collaborate with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to resolve the age-long Isheri flood, pointing out that the comprehensive study of the drainage pattern in the area was ongoing.
In a remark, the Managing Director, Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Mr Olufemi Odumosu who said the agency would focus more on structural measures to control flooding, promised that the water release would be properly controlled to suit the right purposes.
Mr Odumosu charged residents living in wetlands areas of the state to relocate to safer ground or create higher elevation within their residence before the full commencement of raining season.
Representatives of many Communities around Magboro, Ibafo, Oke- Afa, and Isheri along the Lagos – Ibadan expressway were in Abeokuta to witness the flood alert conference.
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