Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State says it spends N13.5 million monthly on waste disposal to prevent flooding in the area.
Alhaji Abdullahi Maje, Chairman of the council, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna, the state capital, on Thursday, July 5, 2018.
He warned residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drains and waterways so as to overcome the perennial menace of flooding.
“It has become necessary for all residents to desist from the old habit of dumping refuse on waterways and drains to avoid flooding, especially during this rainy season,” he said.
“We have reached out to traditional and religious leaders to properly mobilise and enlighten their residents to stop the habit of dumping of waste on waterways.
“This is the right time to accord water and streams the necessary leeway to flow unhindered,” he said.
He said that the situation might get worse if not curbed, particularly now that the rainy season is at its peak.
He said that the local administration have provided ten articulated vehicles for the removal of debris from streams and rivers that were prone to flooding and erosion to prevent any calamity.
Maje recalled that 100 houses were affected as a result of flooding, while eight houses were washed away in the flood, after 10 hours heavy rainfall last year.
He stressed the need for residents to desist from dumping of refuses on waterways and drains as part of measures to prevent flooding in the area.
By Aminu Ahmed Garko
