By Oziegbe Okoeki
Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources Tunji Bello has urged local councils and development areas in the state to clean up tertiary drains in their domains in order to avert flooding.
Bello made the call in a keynote address at a stakeholders meeting on cleaning and maintenance of tertiary drains.
The meeting held at the LCCI Exhibition and Conference Centre, Alausa on Wednesday.
The commissioner said while it is the responsibility of the state government to maintain and clean the secondary and primary drains “because they are the bigger ones that crisscross several local governments,” the tertiary drains which pass through the frontage of most residences are in the purview of local governments.
“The state government both past and present had taken it upon itself to manage and clean most of the drains in order to prevent flooding which a clogged up drain in our frontages can bring about.”
Bello said the purpose of the stakeholders meeting was to create synergy between both levels of government to ensure better cleaning and maintenance strategies of tertiary drains and achieve a flood-free and sustainable Lagos State.
He maintained that most tertiary drains have become refuse dumps since the stoppage of monthly environmental sanitation, with residents and local governments not caring about sanitation.
