. Blame Tank Farms, blocked drains for their plight
By Emma Ogbuehi
Unless help comes from Lagos state and federal government – and promptly, residents of Ijegun Egba, Satellite Town, Lagos, may be sacked by flood this year. Signs of the impending danger began to emerge following the Friday, September 3 rain which caused great discomfort to residents in Otubu Estate through Liverpool Zone 1, Shalom Estate, Divine Estate, Juvenite Estate
The affected residents blamed their plight on Tank farms that have blocked the water channels in the area. The existing gutters are also too narrow to take waters and floods from the community.
The ongoing drainage project between the axis of Shalom Estate, Divine Estate, Juvenite which is going at snail speed is also said to be causing more flooding to the homes in the Estates.
The residents have called on Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Works Department for assistance, adding that Lagos State Ministry of Environment, should come to see things for themselves and prevail on the tank farm operators to open up their blocked gutters.
“We need help and intervention both from the State and the Local Government, possible the Federal Government, Federal Ministry of Environment and Department of Resources that gave approval to establishing of tank farms in Ijegun Egba, Satellite Town a fully built residential area to come and ask Tank farms operators to open up their gutters before waters and floods, which have started already will drive residents out of their homes” chairman of the estates association , Governor Imitini, lamented in a save our soul message to his colleagues.
Another resident, Abimbola, cried; “The situation in my axis is serious oh. The whole road / houses are submerged due to the collapsed drainage sections along Burba Marwa Road towards Eta Oko Canal”.
Ijegun Egba, Satellite Town Lagos residents have been bearing the brunt of heavy duty trucks – trailers and tankers taking over the narrow pothole-riddled road that runs through the area. The indiscriminate siting of tank farms has compounded their problem. With the flooding occasioned by the rains, their situation gets more frightening.
