By OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE

Lagos State Government has threatened to close Ladipo, Oshodi and Mushin markets.

Briefing reporters on Tuesday in Ikeja on “Year 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Predictions and Prevention of Flooding in Lagos”,

Commissioner for the Environment & Water Resources Mr. Tunji Bello said that the markets risked being shut as a result of unhealthy environmental practices.

He said his ministry would invite leaders of the markets and advise them on the need to collaborate with their Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to cart away refuse regularly.

The commissioner warned that failure to desist from blocking the drains and channels with wastes at Ladipo, Oshodi, Mushin and other markets would not go unpunished.

He said that the government would punish offenders, as it was determined to reap the gains of proper planning.

Bello said that measures had been put in place to prevent flood.

He said the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has stepped up its activities to clean the drains and ensure that wastes do not return to the roads or drainages.

The commissioner noted that the peculiarity of Lagos as a coastal state and its strategic position as the economic hub of the nation made it necessary for the government to unveil information about this year’s rainfall prediction.

He said although this year’s rainfall is near normal, Lagos Island is expected to have a rainfall onset from March 19, ending on November 22.

Bello said: “It is expected that Lagos Island will have about 252 days of rainfall and about 1,714 millimetre of rainfall over the year. It can be deduced that Lagos State shall experience a rainy season of 240-270 days, while the maximum annual rainfall is predicted to be 1, 750 millimetre.

“Worthy of note is the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, which indicate that 2020 will likely experience days with extremely high rainfall amounts, which may result in flooding.”

He stressed that guided by core principles of providing a flood-free- and hygienic environment in the state, his ministry was set to provide all-year-round drainage maintenance for effective and efficient flood control.

This, according to Bello, will be done with diligent dredging of primary channels and cleaning and de-silting of secondary collectors to enable them discharge efficiently and act as retention or detention basins.

He said they are collaborating with the local government authorities to clean the tertiary drains and appealed to Lagosians to complement government’s effort by ensuring that they keep their environment clean.

Bello advised communities in coastal and low-lying wetland areas of the state to move upland to avert loss of lives and property.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, an engineer, said Lagosians should be mindful that the state is a coastal state and the economic hub of the nation that attracts people daily.

He said the government is poised to enforce its environmental laws to ensure people abide by the laws for a healthier and flood-free environment.

Igbokwe said the state is cleaning and de-silting the channels and drainage channels. (The Nation)

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