The Lagos State Government has maintained that the ongoing interventions on drainage channels, wetlands and floodplains have significantly reduced the impact of heavy rainfall despite the effects of climate change, even as it cautioned critics against politicking.

State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, stated this yesterday in an interview with newsmen after inspecting drainage channels and flood-prone areas at Oniru, Chevron Drive, Agungi-Ajiran, Freedom Road and Orange Island.

Speaking on the backlash that followed flash floods occasioned by persistent rainfall across the metropolis, attracting public criticism with knock-on government blaming it on inefficiency, he described it as “unacceptable”.

The commissioner, however, condemned public comments where some persons had chosen to politicise flooding despite the efforts of officials working to mitigate its impact.

Wahab said, “Yes, they are politicising it, but that is what they want to do this season. They are not giving this team enough flowers for the work they have been doing. I know the effort they put in day and night.

“Three years ago, when we saw the reports, we took them methodically—from waste management to banning styrofoam; banning certain plastics; removing contraventions on floodplains; pushing back on wetlands; and providing more drainage infrastructure.

“If you listen to the president of Ghana’s speech last week when flooding happened in Accra, everything we have done in Lagos for three years are those things they are about to start doing in Accra.

“So that can tell you how we have been able to manage what we have in Lagos. What we have is not overflowing flooding; it Is flash flooding here and there. Time-stamp it and go back there in a few hours.”

Wahab said the government had already begun seeing improvements following the removal of encroachments along drainage channels around Chevron Drive and Gravitas.

He said, “You were with us some days back when we came to that Chevron Drive by Gravitas. We all saw the level of encroachments carried out by some Omonile, all in the guise of taking possession.

“And two days after, they had come there with their armed policemen to stop government officials from carrying out their legitimate lawful assignments of opening up their channel back to the lagoon. But thankfully, we were able to overcome that.

“Within 72 hours, we have seen a remarkable improvement in the discharging point of the downstream to salvage what is happening in the Ajiran village and neighbouring places.”

The commissioner explained that the inspection was also aimed at engaging residents on measures being taken by the government and identifying areas requiring permanent engineering solutions. Officials also revisited a location where illegal reclamation had previously been stopped because it served as a major discharge point into the lagoon.

Wahab continued, “We came here last year to stop some illegal reclamation being carried out. There is no EIA; there is no drainage clearance. Also, this is the discharging point of the whole of Lekki into the lagoon.

“If you reclaim it and we look the other way, that is the height of being irresponsible.”

Responding to concerns over inadequate drainage infrastructure within communities, the commissioner said the state was collaborating with local government councils while undertaking projects beyond their financial capacity.

Wahab said, “The first thing we have to do is take care of the citizens and then hand over the infrastructure to them.

“There is a level of infrastructure that the local government cannot carry out. So what we have to do on our part is provide a new road with a big collector that will discharge into the canal, and then they have to take ownership and maintain it going forward.”

On enforcement against indiscriminate waste disposal, he said the government would continue prosecuting offenders while strengthening waste collection across the state.

“We can only take them to court when they are caught, and, in fairness, in the past few months, we have prosecuted, and we will keep prosecuting most of these persons that commit this infraction.

“But that is not just enough. We also need to ramp up advocacy and, on the part of LAWMA and the PSP operators, ramp up capacity too,” he said.

Wahab reiterated that the state government planned to deploy between 140 and 150 additional waste compactors and accelerate the transition from a linear waste disposal system to waste recovery.

“The governor has said they are bringing in about 140 to 150 compactors to augment what LAWMA is having at the moment.

“If, by the grace of God, by the end of the year, the material recovery facility and the transfer stations kick off, that will take off about 4,000-plus tonnes of waste a day. That starts reducing the pressure, and then we will take it off from there,” he added. (Vanguard)

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