Flooding: Lagos Govt Demolishes Illegal Structures Blocking Drainage Channel, Video Emerges

• The Lagos State Government has begun removing shanties and illegal structures along the Gbagada-Bariga drainage channel to prevent flooding
• State Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab announced this on X, stating that the removal process started after the expiration of the previously issued 48-hour
• The drainage channel had been obstructed by squatters and property owners, contributing to flooding in the area

The Lagos State Government has begun dismantling shanties and other unauthorized structures along the Gbagada-Bariga drainage channel.

Tokunbo Wahab, the state commissioner for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, announced on his social media X handle, @tokunbo_wahab, on Wednesday, July 10.

He stated:

"After the expiration of a removal notice to owners of shanties beside Bariga-Gbagada Drainage Channel, operatives from the Drainage Enforcement and Compliance department of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources have started removing all shanties on the drainage setback to prevent flooding."

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The Lagos State government had recently issued a 48-hour eviction notice to property owners with illegal structures and squatters occupying the Gbagada Bariga Channel.

Wahab had claimed that the affected drainage channel plays a crucial role in deflooding Bariga, Gbagada, Sholuyi downstream communities, and surrounding areas, Vanguard reported.

However, he noted that the drainage channel has been overtaken by squatters residing in the area.

These individuals have erected shanties along the channel, causing significant obstructions to stormwater flow and resulting in recent flooding.

He said:

"The drainage channel which defloods Bariga, Gbagada, Sholuyi downstream communities and environs, and discharges into System 1 has been taken over by squatters who has constituted nuisance and security risks to the Estate, and property owners who deliberately built to obstruct free flow of water in the area.

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"Shanties were erected along the length of the channel and their activities had blocked collectors that are supposed to carry stormwater into the Channel which resulted to the flooding experienced during the week."

Floods sack many areas after 9-hour rainfall, LASG reacts

In another development, the Lagos State Government urged residents to remain calm on Wednesday, June 3, following the flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall across the state.

Legit.ng reported that Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, explained that the flash floods that inundated areas like Iyana-Oworo, which connects to the Third Mainland Bridge, and several other regions, would recede once the rains subside and the lagoon levels drop.

Source: Legit.ng