By Abolaji Adebayo
Desilting drains, building culverts and sensitising residents on flood control being used by the Ejigbo Local Council Development Area to combat incessant flooding are yielding results, says its chairman, Hon. Monsuru Bello Obe.
In an exclusive interview with ECHONEWS, Obe said the recent tour of flood-prone communities by the Community Development Committee (CDC) following flood alert by the Lagos State Ministry of Environment led to the discovery of infractions that could expose them to the floods and prompted the council to construct drains and desilt.
To sustain compliance, the council has also embarked on sensitisation programme, educating the residents on what to do to control flood, asking those in the highly prone area to vacate their residence in case of heavy torrents.
Commenting on the preparations by the government and communities, the Ashamu Bucknor CDA Chairman, Mr. Toyin Saka said: “As per the flood, the community has done everything humanly possible to reduce the effects of the devastation on the community but as you’re quite aware, no community can provide the infrastructures for curtailing flood.
“Drains have been continuously constructed by landlords with a view to providing easy routes for the flood to the canal whenever it rains.
“My only observation on the self help projects – gutters and culverts, is that every landlord or CDA has been constructing without the LCDA specifications which at times makes the self help insignificant in serving the purpose they are meant for.
“The LCDA put up some palliatives in December 2019 by desilting Fasehun bridge canal which has not been de-silted for years.
“The state government eventually came with the needed equipment to desilt the canal which has been a major cause for easy discharge of flood which unfortunately had been backslashing but with the close to five months of desilting, the canal has been massively cleared of dumps and refuse and the canal can no longer be a stumbling block in the movement of flood from the community to other adjoining canals.”
One of the residents of Taiwo Fayemi community, who spoke to ECHONEWS, claimed that the community is one of the highly flood prone areas in Ejigbo, saying the effort to curb flood in the community has not been solid enough, saying although the government has been responding to their plight.
He said: “The flood in Fayemi has not been totally controlled. Fayemi Street is most affected while the effort to curb it is only desilting of the Fayemi Street down to Docas/Idimu Road which was done with donations by the residents.
“The issue of Street alignment is also affecting Taiwo Street and attention of the council authority has been drawn to it. The council authority has been responding to community challenges and we appreciate the council chairman for being proactive in solving people’s challenge.”
