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Photo credit @Edykuti (Twitter) |
The Lagos State Government on Lord's Day urged residents to remain calm together with vigilant inwards the wake of the torrential pelting experienced inwards the solid reason inwards the terminal few days.
The State’s Commissioner for the Environment, Babatunde Adejare, who spoke later inspecting areas affected past times the alluvion inwards the State, allayed fears of residents, assuring that the authorities has activated its emergency response organisation to answer efficiently where necessary.
He said most of the flooding would recede later a menses of time, attributing the get to the high tide of the lagoon, slowing downwards the current of rainfall H2O from drainage channels.
“We are on operate past times of the situation. The authorities is concerned past times the recent occurrence of flooding inwards only about parts of Victoria Island, Lekki, Oniru together with its environs together with our emergency lines 112 together with 767 are opened upwardly 24/7 for residents to written report whatever emergency situation,” he said.
The commissioner urged residents inwards the habit of dumping turn down indiscriminately specially inwards drainage channels to halt forthwith, proverb that engaging inwards such does non exclusively portend wellness hazards, but could too Pb to loss of lives together with property.
He said dumping turn down inwards drainages meant to accept alluvion H2O to the lagoon, blocks such channels together with equally such had dire consequences that could Pb to loss of lives together with properties.
Mr. Adejare too expressed concerns that despite the vigorous sweat past times the authorities on the dangers of dumping turn down indiscriminately, only about people soundless engage inwards such act.
“The lagoon is swollen up, in that location is high tide, together with so it would lock on our outfalls, the H2O would non recede or larn into the lagoon equally fast equally it used to be. So that’s i of the master copy argue why nosotros are having flooding all over the place; together with coupled amongst our ain homo made problems such equally people blocking the drainage channels, people fifty-fifty edifice on drainage channels, that’s what has too been causing all these problems.
“That is a criminal matter to do, it is non good, their actions tin Pb to loss of lives together with definitely to impairment of properties, together with so they should halt it because it would touching on only about people adversely.
“You produce non postulate to dump turn down inwards drainages, eventually nosotros would come upwardly to selection them upwardly together with amongst our improved services through the reforms that nosotros are carrying out, in that location would non move anything similar that, nosotros would move evacuating company waste product faster than nosotros direct hold done,” Mr. Adejare said.
He said that the authorities was concerned most the security of residents, therefore the continuous telephone phone on those living inwards flood-prone areas to relocate temporarily pending when the pelting recedes.
“Like nosotros direct hold been telling them, if the pelting soundless persist, delight don’t operate out of your homes, except y'all are living past times the coast or past times the depression line. If y'all are i of those, y'all direct hold to motion upland, motion away from the coast until the pelting recedes. But if y'all are living upland together with it’s raining persistently together with it’s non necessary or compulsory for y'all to larn out, delight remain indoors.
If y'all too direct hold contact amongst alluvion water, launder your hands always, whatever has been touched past times the alluvion H2O should non move eaten, it’s important,” Mr. Adejare said.
The commissioner too assured residents that the ongoing reforms inwards the environs sector through the Cleaner Lagos Initiative would evolve a feasible company waste product direction organisation which would brand the solid reason cleaner together with salubrious for residents.
“This is a transition period, most importantly it’s non that the reforms direct hold taken together with so long, y'all postulate to conception rattling good together with so that y'all don’t conception to fail. We are making certain that when nosotros start, nosotros don’t promise to fail, nosotros promise to give our people a Blue Planet bird service inwards company waste product management, that’s what nosotros are planning for together with nosotros postulate to accept our fourth dimension to produce that together with give Lagosians skillful service. It would commence, it would succeed together with it would give us a ameliorate means of managing our company waste product here,” he said.
He, however, urged residents to buy the farm along to hold a high bird of cleanliness, specially inwards disposing their refuse, spell assuring that the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led direction would non relent inwards its efforts until it achieves a cleaner Lagos.
“I desire to tell our people, no pain, no gain. To embark on whatever sort of reform is ever rattling tedious. As a government, the priority is to encounter these reforms through together with to brand our people alive better.
“Our turn down should non move a disgrace to us, it should move a resources together with that’s what nosotros recall to pursue,” Mr. Adejare said.
Press Release