Oyo Gov’t Desilts 153km Drainages, Culverts To Curb Flooding

As a proactive measure to avert flood disasters, the Oyo State government has declared that it has desilted over 153.11km of blocked drainages and culverts along major roads in the Ibadan metropolis.

Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Architect Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola, affirmed the figure, stating that the state government saw it as imperative to clear the blocked drains and culverts of all debris like cellophane, bottles, sand, wood and tyres.

Represented by the Director, Engineering Department of the Ministry, Engr. Oladipo Adebowale, the Commissioner said this would avert impending and avoidable flooding calamities in the state.

Mogbonjubola, during the on-the-spot assessment tour by the ministry officials, in conjunction with those of Oyo State Project Performance Monitoring Agency and Office of the Auditor General (State), while commending the visionary steps of the present government on the desilting of the drainages, warned against further atrocity of refuse dumps in unauthorised places.

He reiterated that blocking drains and culverts is a big offense, which aside from causing flooding, destroys the asphaltic layers of the roads, warning that culprits of refuse dumps would face the wrath of the state’s environmental law.

He listed the cleared drainages to include Total Garden to Beere, Iyaganku to Odo-ona, and Apata, Total Jericho to Alesinloye Round about, Sango-Eleyele to Ologuneru, Ijokodo-Apete-Awotan, Olunde to Olojuoro Road, among others.