Lagos State government will, today, commence enforcement in Apapa to re-establish the three-metre right-of-way for all its drainage channels.
The operation is aimed at tackling flooding within Apapa and environs.
Speaking with newsmen after an inspection tour to check the level of compliance, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the enforcement was coming after the expiration of notices; after convening stakeholders’ meetings earlier in the year with property owners to voluntarily move fences that fall within the drainage setback.
He said for several years, the ministry was not able to access the eight major collectors for maintenance purposes, due to encroachment, which is a major contributor to flooding in the Apapa.
He said the state government was determined to find a lasting solution to flooding in Apapa and directed enforcement officers to ensure that all contravening properties are removed from the drainage right-of-way.
He assured that the state would not cherry pick properties during the enforcement.
“We want to check the state of collectors in Apapa to evacuate and treat the collectors; the entire collectors in this area are blocked, and the right-of-way taken over by individuals who moved their fences to aquire extra land, thereby denying us access to the drains,” he said.
The commissioner also inspected Rock Drive in Lekki I, following complaints that some individuals converted a residential area into a diesel depot.
He said the illegal depot poses the risk of a fire outbreak in the area. He, therefore, directed the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) to seal up the property, while officials of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) corps demolished shanties around the facility and towed away diesel trucks and vehicles.
He also visited the Aunty Ayo collector drain in Ikoyi, where he expressed satisfaction with the ongoing cleaning of channels and warned residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse, especially as the rainy season sets in.
