By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The Lagos State Government has on Sunday reiterated its commitment to continue to upgrade and build resilient drainage infrastructure to prevent flooding incidents across the state.
Speaking with newsmen after an assessment tour to check the progress of work as regards the Lagos Island regeneration project, ongoing drainage projects at Onikoyi Banana island and Femi Pedro Avenue in Park View Estate, Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, said when the urban regeneration project is completed, it will address the flooding issues in the whole of Lagos Island and environs.
Wahab also checked the ongoing projects (Secondary Collector drain lining) around Gorodom Market expressing satisfaction with the level of work that had been done.
The Commissioner also visited Ikoyi following an earlier investigation to determine the flash flooding around Turnbull/Banana Island Road, saying the investigations revealed that there was a blocked underground culvert around the Shoreline off the Turnbull entrance.
“The last heavy rain affected Banana Island Road into Turnbull, and we have done remedial work and carried out an upgrade of the infrastructure,” he said.
According to him, the level of development on Banana Island Road has overwhelmed the tertiary drains in place; the Government may have to make one of them a secondary collector so it can discharge Shoreline and Banana Island Road into the collector at Mojisola Onikoyi, then into the Lagoon.
The team also checked two other locations, which are Underbridge Idumagbo and under the third Mainland bridge, along Oja Oba Street off Adeniji Adele Road, where enforcements had earlier been carried out, but it was observed that the traders are back and ordered them to vacate the areas immediately.
He mentioned the government never wanted to disrupt traders’ economic activities, adding that they had been warned not to sell under major infrastructure, but they are recalcitrant and continued to engage in commercial activities under the bridge.
He explained that the Idumagbo under bridge was cleared of illegal structures earlier in the year, but the traders were allowed to do their trading in a way that would not impede the flow and aesthetics of that area.
Speaking further, the Commissioner said if the traders wish to come back, the process has to be regulated and not under the bridges, saying if anything happens, the people will accuse the Government of abandoning its responsibility, forgetting that the citizens also have responsibilities.
He mentioned that some individuals had shown interest in transforming the under-bridge areas into parks, and LASPARK had given them the design to work with, saying traders must leave the places immediately.
Wahab and his team later proceeded to Parkview Estate to assess the ongoing drainage projects, which are expected to drain storm water from Femi Pedro Avenue into the Lagoon, noting that the contractor is expected to wrap up within the next 90 days.
He stressed that Lagos, being a coastal state, is exposed to the vagaries of Climate Change, such as sea level rise, excessive heat and excessive rainfall, saying the Government must mitigate by not allowing the human element to undermine the drainage infrastructure.
Also speaking with newsmen after the tour, a former Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro expressed great appreciation to the government for the upgraded drainage infrastructure in Parkview Estate.
He said the secondary Collector Drains at Parkview (Olufemi Pedro Avenue and Agodogba Estate) are much bigger and deeper now, so that flooding issues would become a thing of the past in the area.
