By Sarah NEGEDU
Worried by the magnitude of devastation caused by the recent flooding recorded at the Trademore Estate, Lugbe, the federal government said it it will be stepping in to find a lasting solution to the issue of perennial flooding in the estate.
Already, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has directed a comprehensive assessment of the recent flood at the estate and other affected areas along the airport road.
The permanent secretary, Ecological Project Office, Shehu Ibrahim, who stated this during a tour of the affected areas said that the government would deploy a holistic approach to tackle the menace of flooding in the Mega-City Estate and its environs.
He said the assessment tour was to enable the office put up a comprehensive report for government’s further action
The Permanent Secretary decried the level of devastation caused by the flood to residents and their livelihood in the estate, noting that it required Ecological Project Office’ collaboration with other relevant agencies to come up with a comprehensive plan of intervention.
“From our own assessment, what we have seen so far, you can see it’s a consideration of two factors: human and natural factors. It is something that we have to go beyond one agency, so we look at areas we need to come in and intervene and will liaise with other sister agencies like FCDA, FERMA, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Federal Ministry of Environment to see how we can address this issue and avoid future occurrence”.
He explained that while the natural factor is as a result of the rainy season, the human factor he said was caused by developers who compromise standards as well as residents’ indiscriminate dumping of refuse on water ways.
Ibrahim also disclosed that the assessment tour was part of the Federal Government’s proactive efforts to hasten the provision of a lasting solution to the flooding in the area.
He said, “government can not sit down and allow things like this to happen”.
Responding, the chairman of Trademore Phase 3, Residents Association, Adewale Adenike, maintained that the flooding was not caused entirely by the Trademore estate as the Estate is a corridor for the flooding which emanates from Lokogoma, Pykassa and other adjoining communities.
While noting that the government may not have envisaged the present magnitude of devastation at the initial stage of designing the estate, he however expressed the hope that it must employ a scientific approach in solving the problem by a proper channelization of all the arteries and tributaries which needed to be widened and deepened.