The Ogun State Government has said it will demolish buildings erected on drainage channels and punish residents who dispose of waste indiscriminately as part of efforts to tackle flooding across the state.
In an Interview on Channels TV, monitored by The News Chronicle, the Commissioner for Environment, Oladimeji Oresanya, disclosed the government’s measures to address flood risks, stressing that many of the factors contributing to flooding are human-induced.
According to him, the government has a duty to establish and enforce regulations that ensure proper environmental management.
“Government is responsible because our job really in government is to ensure that we define the structure that will guide how people function. That’s part of our social contract,” he said.
Oresanya explained that poor waste management remains one of the major causes of blocked drainage channels, which often lead to flooding during heavy rainfall.
“When you don’t collect your waste properly, the waste will clog the channels and affect the runoff. That means the government is responsible for waste management,” he stated.
The commissioner, however, stressed that residents must also be held accountable for actions that contribute to environmental degradation.
“It’s not about the habits of the people. They are more the consequence of misbehaviour. So if you have a bad habit, you get punished for it. That’s just it,” he said.
He also warned against erecting buildings on drainage alignments and river channels, saying the government would remove structures built in violation of planning regulations.
“When you build along the river channels or the drainage channels, it’s for the government to break it up and remove the house. If you don’t have approval for it, then the house will be removed,” Oresanya said.
He added that the enforcement of environmental laws, including the demolition of illegal structures and punishment for environmental offenders, forms part of the state’s strategy to reduce flooding and protect lives and property.
