By Kemi Olatunde
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Ondo State Government is set to desilt drainages along major roads in Akure and also irregular structure demolish to prevent flooding in the state.
Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Sunday Akinwalire disclosed this while speaking with The Hope on Monday in Akure.
According to him, there has been an approval for the exercise noting that it will be followed by adequate monitoring to attain compliance by residents.
He explained that government has put in place structures and policy to ensure that flooding is reduced to the barest minimum as was done in 2022.
He noted that the Ministry of Environment last Sunday carried out a monitoring exercise to assess the impact of last Saturday’s downpour in major areas in Akure.
He explained that both River Owe and Aigo at Ile-Oluji were visited by the team as well as an illegal dumpsite at Itanla along Ile-Oluji road stating that efforts were in place to evacuate the wastes to a nearby dumpsite and also prevent it from being used for the same purpose.
He assured that government’s intervention will be felt in other parts of the state .
He called on residents to clear all blocked drainages within their vicinity, stating that they should report those who fail to put the drainages in check.
His words; “NIMET has predicted heavy rain this year and it behoves on all residents to be prepared by desilting their drainages. They should not wait for government especially those in the interior.
“Those who build structures around water courses should ensure that they evacuate their families and property during long hour downpour in order to guarantee safety.”
He stressed the need for children to be put at check while raining so as to prevent them from being carried away by flood while calling for proper containerization of waste for effective evacuation by waste collectors.
He said; “Residents have not been supporting government in the proper usage of the environment . They still empty their wastes in drainages during rains. They should always pack their waste in appropriate pack for proper evacuation.
