By Olasunkanmi Akoni

LAGOS—Lagos State Government, yesterday, said it had maintained 108 primary, secondary and tertiary channel drains, totalling 107,350.00 metres across the state aimed at reducing cases of flooding in the state.

Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, who disclosed this in Ikeja, said the measure was to intensify and sustain government’s de-flooding programme consisting of pre-rain, mid-rain and post-rain strategies to provide relief to residents.

According to Bello, “Maintenance of primary channels, secondary and tertiary drains was carried out on 108 drains totalling 107,350.00m across the state. In Agege Local Government Area, LGA, seven drains of 4,438.00m were routinely maintained; three channels of 4,034m were maintained in Ajeromi Ifelodun, while a total of 8,671m channels were maintained in Alimosho, LGAs, among others.”

Bello said the state government had kept faith with its de-flooding programme, which had been sustained by Governor Babatunde Fashola’s dministration and had continued to yield positive results across the state.
He noted that while it had rained persistently in the last one month, the state had not recorded massive flooding and destruction of property that used to accompany past rainy season in the state.

According to him, the state government had been able to achieve the feat through intensification of its mid-rain cleaning and maintenance programme which had reduced the incidence of flooding unlike the incessant flooding being experienced in other states of the federation.

Bello said “as we are in the peak of the rainy season, residents should cooperate with the state government by participating actively in cleaning of drainage channels in their immediate environment to allow for easy passage of storm water.

”We call on the people of the state to complement the efforts of the state government by cleaning tertiary drains/gutters in their frontages and neighbourhood regularly and not only on monthly environmental sanitation days, but on all days.”