A House of Representatives member, Rep. Samuel Adejare, has called for collaboration with the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to enlarge the drainage channels in Agege area of Lagos to prevent flooding.
Adejare, representing Agege Federal Constituency, told newsmen on Tuesday during a visit to the flood-prone area in Agege.
He said that the ongoing construction of the new Lagos-Ibadan Standard gauge line had exposed the community to a high risk of flooding during rainfall.
“We are going to collaborate with NRC to ensure that the drainage channel here is enlarged to accommodate the high flow of water during rainfall.
“This is a Federal Government project, which will affect all of us positively; at the same time, the government will not allow flooding to happen in any community and that is why we are here to ensure that we do the needful.
“I will also advise the community to ensure they bag their waste properly for proper passage of water during the rainy season.
“If residents are dumping their refuses in the drainage channels, it affects the free flow of water, which resort to flooding.
“Efforts will be put in place to ensure the narrow drainage channel is enlarge to contain the full force of water coming from the other side,” he said.
Also, Mr Yinka Ogundimu, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, appealed to the NRC and Federal Government to do rectification of the drainage channel before the rainy season.
Ogundimu, (APC-Agege Constituency 2), said that the drainage channels constructed by the contractor handling the rail line was too small to accommodate the high flow of rain water.
“We want the NRC to come and do rectification in Agege Community; the drainage channel provided by the contractor is too small.
”This is a ‘Save Our Soul’ message to the government so that our people will not perish here.
”Now, we have foreseen this problem before the occurrence, that is why we are calling on those who are a concern to be proactive in solving the problem,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the Ajegunle Community in Agege Local Government Area of the state had complained that the ongoing construction work would expose the community to flooding.
Commenting, Mr Julius Ekemode, a Leader in Ajegunle Agege Community, said that the area was prone to flooding due to the construction of the new rail lines.
Ekemode urged the Federal Government and the NRC to come to the rescue of the community and build a canal in the community.
”We are sending an SOS message to the government to take proactive measures to prevent the looming disaster as a result of flooding in this community.
”Rail line is good for society, no doubt about it, but our community is in danger of flooding when the rain starts.
”With the little rains we have experienced here in January, for just about 30 minutes, everywhere was flooded.
”It was terrible, just imagine what will happen when the rains starts properly.
“The community is now appealing to the government and the NRC to come to our aid and build a canal for us that will withstand the full force of the water during the downpour.
“With the high rise of the rail line, compared to buildings in our community, it is like we are now in the valley which exposes us to flooding whenever it rains,” he said.
