Flooding: Ogun Govt Orders Owners Of Marked Houses To Remove Them Or...

Ogun State Government has ordered owners of houses built illegally on drainage channels which had been marked for demolition for obstructing flow of wastes water to remove them voluntarily or have them removed by the state on their behalf at a cost payable by them

The move is part of efforts by the present administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun to prevent avoidable flooding in most part of the state's urban areas 

The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya gave the warning when he led a State Government multi- sectoral team on flood mitigation and control to assess the impact of urban flooding in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state. 

According to him, if the owners of the marked buildings who have been given enough notices and ultimatum wait for the state government to remove the property, they will have to pay the state government for using the tax- payers to remove it for them and further face possible penalty as the government will drag them court for contravening the state Environmental Laws. 

He therefore directed those involved to do the needful as quickly as possible to avoid these sanctions as the State Government is interested in them obeying the ultimatum  and the Environment Laws which prohibits them from building on flood planes. 

Oresanya also used the opportunity to direct house owners in the state to channel their wastes waters properly by constructing and maintaining tertiary drains in front of their houses or show evidence of waste water retention tanks to complement the state government's efforts at constructing  and maintaining primary and secondary trunks to avoid sanctions. 

"Any house owner that fails to comply with these directive by allowing his or her wastes water to flow on to the roads will be penalized as the state and the local authorities will not watch them drain their waste water directly into the road thereby destroying the road infrastructure ", he warned 

"We will not fold our hands and see people destroy these roads a built with tax payers money. If you go round the state, you will see that the state government has invested heavily on this road infrastructure in the interest of the public and one of the key things that destroy them is this habit of our people which must stop forthwith", Oresanya added. 

Going forward, the Commissioner announced that in conformity with the new flood realities in Nigeria and globally, the state government would soon start upgrading its drainage plans which will be followed strictly while efforts are also on to expand the drainage network for better flood mitigation and management. 

He however advised house owners who may fall into these new alignments with genuine approvals to file for compensation as the state government is determined to see through its new drainage master plan.