Janet Ogundepo
The Ogun State Government has advised residents of flooded areas of Isheri, Riverview Estate, Oshorun Estate, OPIC Estate, Arepo, and other affected communities to abide by its earlier flood alert and relocate to higher ground.
The communites were flooded following the recent release of water from the Oyan Dam.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya, stated this in response to the flooding situation in the areas, which was caused by the lowland nature and higher level of tidal fluctuation from river flooding.
He added that the situation forced the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority to release excessive water from the Oyan Dam.
Oresanya further assured residents of the affected areas that the water would recede by Friday, October 25.
The Ogun and Lagos State government had last Thursday advised residents living along the lowland areas to relocate or move to the higher plains due to the release of the Oyan dam.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that the annual release of the dam always led to the flooding of several estates and areas in the Lagos and Ogun axis.
Last week, residents of Isheri, Lafenwa, Arepo and Warewa were thrown into panic due to the flood while residents in the Mile 12 area of Lagos relied on boats to ferry them out to and fro their houses.
In a statement sent to PUNCH Healthwise, Oresanya assured residents that the government was working on finding lasting solutions to the perennial flooding problems.
“While noting that the release of excess water from the Dam is unavoidable to avert its damage which might lead to unpalatable consequences, Oresanya assured residents of the areas that the flood water would start receding significantly from Friday 25 October through waterways, water courses and canal dredged and provided for that purpose earlier by the Dapo Abiodun lead administration at ameliorating the problem.
“Ogun State Government is working assiduously with its Lagos counterpart and the Federal Government to finding lasting solutions to the perennial flooding problems in the areas,” he said.
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