The Delta State government has urged residents to adopt positive and sustainable environmental measures and refrain from acts that could undermine the carrying capacity of drainages across the state so as to mitigate the negative effect of flooding associated with heavy rainfall.
The state government made this known to newsmen through the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, in a press briefing today, in Asaba,the state capital.
While sympathizing with those whose personal effects, motorcycles were damaged as a result of the ensuing floods in the Ika axis of the state due to the heavy downpour, Aniagwu advised residents to avoid dumping refuse in drainages as this would further aggravate the flood and obstruct the free flow of flood water through the drainages.
According to the Commissioner, the state government had always been proactive in a bid to mitigate such occurrence through its numerous drainage systems across different parts of the state.
“We have before now as a government been able to pay a lot of attention to flood control measures as we have constructed dual drainage carriage in the majority of our roads and in some instances, built storm drainages.
“The state government has invested heavily on construction of drains and storm water discharge across the state. Most roads have dual drains. A study was carried out by the government and in Asaba alone, the study revealed that eight storm drainages would be needed to contain the flow of flood water during the rainy season and the government embarked on the construction of these storm drainages in different parts of the state capital.”
He mentioned other such efforts to include the construction of storm drainages across the Ogbegonogo market, behind the Asaba Specialist Hospital, Owa-Alero axis and the Ugolo Okpe/Osubi/Warri axis including mini-drainages along constructed roads.
Aniagwu said that floods of such magnitude is a natural disaster as it could happen anywhere, even in developed country.
“I am sure in April last year, you all could recall what happened in Dubai; also, sometimes last year September or October, what happened in Spain where flash floods took away cars and set away buildings,” he added.
Aniagwu mentioned storm drainages constructed by the state government in Owa-Alero in Ika North-East, the Ugolo-Okpe-Okuokoko-Osubi axis in Okpe Local Government Area, in addition to the double drainages built to address issues of flooding in different parts of the state.
He stated that if every Deltans and residents had taken the maintenance of the drainages personally by avoiding dumping debris, wastes and refuse and also helped to prevent others from doing the same, the effect would have been minimal.
He used the medium to inform the general public that the Ministry of Environment would persecute anyone caught dumping refuse in the drainages as he appealed to everyone to take it as their personal responsibility.
“The Ministry of Environment is going to come down heavily on anybody who is seen depositing any of such in our drains.
“Let it be made clear that we are not going to take it lightly with anybody, going forward. Anybody who takes action to undermine the drainages we have built, because so much money was invested in the construction of these drainages,”, Aniagwu warned.
