The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in Akure, Ondo State, sensitised residents, especially market women, to the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways.
Head of Operation for Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti, Mr Kadiri Olarewaju, in an interview said it was important due to the predictions that rain would be much this year.
He made the submission during a road walk that took the train around Oja Oba and Isolo market of Akure.
Olarewaju, represented by the Senior Planning Officer M.D. Okoye, noted that if the drains were blocked, water would always find another route and the reason for flooding.
He said that Ondo State is one of the flood-prone states and advised the general public to be mindful of the way they disposed their wastes.
The head of Ekiti operations said the agency was not only a reactive one, but also acted on reports and facts available to be a proactive and prevent such predictions.
He said there are several challenges in curbing flood, especially when people would not stop building and dumping refuse on waterways, not heeding to warnings and advice to leave flood-ravaged areas.
“This road walk is deemed necessary, considering the prevailing weather conditions. we thought it wise that we sensitise the people, the general public, most especially those in the markets.
“We noticed that when this flooding comes, it is as a result of blockage in drains that have to force the water to look for it’s way and at the end of the day, we find this water coming to our house and business places and we thought it wise to sensitise people to proper waste disposal,” he said.
Olarewaju said people should not also build their houses on flood prone areas as well as water ways, to help reduce flooding.
In a related development, the National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has advised residents of Enugu to stop using drainage canals s as waste disposal channels.
The Enugu State Co-coordinator of the agency, Mr Pele Egbagiri, said in Enugu on Wednesday that flooding in different parts of the country necessitated the call.
According Egbagiri, NESREA organises road walks on flood control quarterly to sensitise the people of Enugu State on how best to dispose of their wastes.
“The effect of dumping wastes in drainages is that the waters that should flow through the waterways disperse onto the roads causing flooding.
“When there are wastes in the drainages or gutters as it is popularly called, the flood leaves the waterways to the roads.
“Beyond that we have seen cases where flooding took over some homes.
“Enugu is not along the costal lines, but due to the activities of people building on waterways, the drainages get filled up with other things except water, he said
Egbagiri said the agency was planning another road walk now that the rains have set in.
By Segun Giwa and By Ifeoma Aka
