Osun spends N3.4b to dredge 344.44km waterways

Osun State government said it has spent N3.4billion on the dredging of 344.44km waterways in the state.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this yesterday in Osogbo when the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed handed over a completed erosion control ecology project to the state.

Aregbesola commended President Muhammadu Buhari for using the Office of Ecological Fund to improve on the interventions to the state.

He cited the lining of the water channels with concrete walls, which would make it to last longer and work more efficiently.

The governor warned residents of Osogbo and its environs against dumping refuse in waterways, especially during the rains to avoid blockage.

He said: “It is an improvement on the intervention that we have made for our people to check flooding. Before our advent, flooding used to be a yearly mishap is Osun.”

The minister ‎said the Federal Government executed the project as part of its erosion control measures.

He disclosed that ‎the Federal Government had spent N2.156billion on the newly commissioned channelisation projects.

Meanwhile, Kaduna State government has warned of imminent flood in five local government areas of the state.

The General Manager, Kaduna Environmental Protection Authority Abdullahi Rigasa (KEPA) gave the warning yesterday at a news conference on 2018 flood outlook.

He listed them as Igabi, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Soba and Kaura local government areas.

He urged residents of the five flood-prone areas to be watchful, adding that KEPA has the mandate of preventing the occurrence of floods in the state.

He further advised relevant agencies to perfect their emergency evacuation plans, and activate them as quickly as possible.