Environment Commissioner Parleys Lagos Street Traders on Flooding
The Edo Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Arc. Joshua Omokhodion had an interactive session with traders on Lagos Street and its environs, Thursday, 6 July to deliberate on control of the resurging flooding and other environmental issues confronting the area.
Edo State Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Speaking during the meeting held at the conference hall of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, the Honourable Commissioner, Arc.Joshua Omokhodion deplored the blocking of drains constructed by government with huge resources by dumping refuse on them by the traders and residents of the area, pointing out that it’s incumbent on them to protect the drains and prevent it from blockage for free flow of flood whenever it rains.
The meeting which was at the instance of the Honourable Commissioner, was convened after his visit to Lagos Street during the heavy down pour on Tuesday, 3 July to enable him have first hand knowledge of the flooding situation on Lagos Street and its environs, with a view to finding a comprehensive and lasting solution to the menace.
Addressing the traders, Hon. Omokhodion said, “We decided to meet you people, members of Lagos Street traders today on issues around environmental sanitation in that area because your pains are our pains and as a government, we’re to serve you and your happiness and well being is important to us. We in the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability have seen the environmental problems confronting the traders at Lagos Street and its environs. We have seen the problem of flooding in the area whenever it rains.
“As a result of the desire of Governor Godwin Obaseki to finish well, we decided to visit the area while it was raining on Tuesday to enable us ascertain the level of flooding in the area and how to tackle it. We We have seen that the environmental problems there, especially flooding requires the collaboration of all of us, both the government, traders and residents of Lagos Street and its environs.”
Deploring the blockage of drains by the traders and other residents of Lagos Street and its environs by indiscriminate dumbing of refuse, Arc. Omokhodion pointed out that, “It is the duty of government to provide infrastructural facilities like roads, drainages, markets and others; but it is disheartening that after government has provided these facilities, then the people using the facilities will be destroying them, putting waste inside drainages which will block them and stop the flood from flowing through them; thereby flooding the roads. These unhealthy environmental practices cause diseases, push floods into people’s houses and thus make life unbearable for them. This is not good and as a government that cares for the well being of the people, we’ll not allow that”, the Commissioner warned.
In her speech, Lady Omuwa Elegon, AKA “Mama Lagos”, a foremost trader and landlady on Lagos Street, situated the problem of non evacuation of refuse in the area to duplicity in refuse disposal revenue collection by different persons with non taking responsibility for refuse disposal, pointing out that the revenue collectors are too many with non ready to evacuate the refuse they collected money to dispose off. According to her, “They collect revenue for refuse disposal from traders and squatters, but refuse to dispose off the wastes. This is why those who generate the wastes no longer care about disposing off the wastes they generate as they always insist they’ve paid for its evacuation”.
In their separate contributions, Dr. Angel Osa Oke, who represented Chief Edogun from Ibiwe community, representatives of Lagos Street Traders Association, the Head of Housa Community in Edo State, Alhaji Badamasi Salh, McFranklin Waste Managers, represented by Moses Osagie, representatives of Edo State Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) and heads of other communities on Lagos Street; attributed the flooding on Lagos Street, Ibiwe Street and its environs to the blockage of the underground drainage from Mission road through Lagos Street junction by the Mosque to Emotan statue by Ibiwe junction and appealed to the government to open up the underground drainage by desilting it to give way to free flow of flood in the area to stop the flooding of Lagos Street whenever it rains.
They also disclosed that the human excreta from the Gida waka (toilet) operated by some individuals at Lagos Street and its environs are emptied into the roads in form of liquid wastes at night, pointing out that this is dangerous to the health of the people and suggested a comprehensive plan for the evacuation of solid and liquid wastes in the area.
