Lagos State Government has issued a 48-hour vacation notice to squatters and owners of illegal structures along Gbagada-Bariga water channel.
In a bid to save lives and mitigate the impacts of flooding, Lagos State Government has issued a 48-hour vacation notice to squatters and owners of illegal structures along Gbagada-Bariga drainage channel.
The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this in a post on X.com on Sunday.
Wahab added that the channel has been blocked by squatters who live there and property owners who built structures that obstruct the flow of water, which also contributed to the flooding in the area.
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His post read in part, “The drainage channel which defloods Bariga, Gbagada, Sholuyi downstream communities and environs, and discharges into System 1 has been taken over by squatters who have constituted nuisance and security risks to the estate, and property owners who deliberately built to obstruct free flow of water in the area.
“Shanties were erected along the length of the channel, and their activities blocked collectors that are supposed to carry stormwater into the channel, which resulted in the flooding experienced during the week.”
He added that upon expiration of the notices served, operatives of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources will commence the removal of the contravening structures in order to de-flood the area.
The quit notice by the state comes on the heels of a recent alert by the federal government on states and local government areas to brace for increased flooding, as the country enters the peak of the rainy season.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, who issued the warning in Abuja, recommended precautionary measures be taken to avert possible disasters from such occurrences.
Utsev said states had been alerted following recent reports highlighted in the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook as unveiled by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
He said state governors had been provided with detailed forecasts and preventative measures specific to their regions.
According to him, significant flood risks have been identified in 148 local government areas across 31 states of the federation. Lagos is among the states that experience heaving rainfall and consequent flooding every year.
