Abia Alert On NiMet’s Rainfall Warning –Commissioner

Abia State government has said it is alert to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s warning that the state would experience an increase in rainfall this year.

The commissioner for environment, Philmone Ogbonna, stated this while speaking to LEADERSHIP Sunday in Umuahia, the state capital, while reacting to the warning yesterday.

Other states listed to experience the increase are Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Ondo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kogi and Niger.

NiMet had last week warned that rainfall in these areas is expected to exceed 50mm in 24 hours in some locations, with a probability of more than 60%.

The commissioner said as part of the response, the government had stepped up campaign against indiscriminate dumping of refuse at unauthorised locations including gutters and drainages.

“All drivers are therefore mandated to provide waste bins for their passengers offenders will be prosecuted in line with the state environmental law,” he said.

Ogbonna , who appealed to residents of the state to team up with the government in the campaign, noted that dumping wastes into the drainage when it rains was equally prohibited.

“The safety of every residents is our priority. Be the environmental police in your neighborhood. Let us safeguard our environment,” he added.