The government advises residents in flood-prone areas to move

By Oluwatoyin Adegoke

Residents of flood-prone areas in Ogun State have been told to relocate and take safety measures against flooding, in view of experts’ prediction that some parts of the state will experience flash floods 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 based on the annual flood forecast for 2024 released by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET.

The Commissioner also announced the government’s plan to construct proper drainage canals, mini-bridges and culverts in identified flood-prone areas in the three senatorial districts as part of measures to tackle the situation.

He encouraged the people to take advantage of the recently introduced drainage permit, guide companies on how to properly discharge their rainwater at the final discharge points and guide residents against building on floodplains and wetlands.

The Commissioner assured that the state would work with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to resolve the age-long flooding of Isheri, pointing out that the comprehensive study of drainage pattern in the area was underway.

In a remark, the Managing Director of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Mr. Olufemi Odumosu, who said the agency would focus more on structural flood management measures, promised that water discharge would be properly controlled to achieve the right goals.

Mr Odumosu has directed residents living in wetland areas of the state to move to safer ground or create higher ground in their homes before the full onset of the rainy season.

Representatives of many communities around Magboro, Ibafo, Oke-Afa and Isheri along the Lagos – Ibadan highway were in Abeokuta to witness the flood warning conference.

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