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The Edo State Government has announced plans to demolish buildings and other structures erected on waterways and flood channels as part of efforts to reduce flooding across the state.
The government also said it had begun documenting victims affected by recent flooding to support planned intervention measures.
Executive Secretary of the Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EDOSEMA), Jerry Idahosa, disclosed this during a media briefing in Benin City on Monday.
Idahosa said investigations showed that several buildings had been constructed on the Benin moat, while indiscriminate dumping of refuse had blocked drainage channels, increasing the risk of flooding.
He added that internally displaced persons’ camps had been prepared ahead of possible flood emergencies.
According to him, communities expected to be worst affected include Illushi in Esan South-East Local Government Area, as well as parts of Etsako Central and Etsako East local government areas.
He also revealed that the agency had received details of about 1,000 farmers whose farmlands were damaged by flooding, in addition to 57 residents affected in Igarra.
Residents of flood-prone communities, he said, had been advised to relocate to safer and higher grounds as part of the government’s disaster preparedness plan.
Idahosa blamed much of the flooding on blocked drainage systems caused by indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that EDOSEMA was working with the Ministry of Environment and the Edo Waste Management Board to enforce stricter sanctions against offenders.
He also said the agency was collaborating with the Ministry of Physical Planning to identify and remove structures built illegally on the Benin moat.
According to him, some community leaders had filled and sold portions of the moat for development, despite the area serving as a natural water channel. He said affected structures would be marked and demolished because the waterways must remain open to prevent flooding.
“Most of the issues we are finding, or rather we’ve discovered, are blocked drainages as a result of indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
“We are also making our plans working with the Ministry of Environment and the Edo Waste Management Board to see how we can implement stiff measures for those offenders or defaulters.
“Another area where we are also working is with the Ministry of Physical Planning because we have seen majority of our moats have been blocked. Community leaders sold this moat or rather they filled up these moats and they sell them to people to develop on them.
“We are working closely with the Ministry of Physical Planning to identify and mark these houses and when they are identified, we’ll bring them down because it is clearly stated that the moats are supposed to be waterways where floods are supposed to be channeled,” he said.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency have repeatedly warned that Edo is among the states at high risk of flooding during the rainy season.
In response, the state government has intensified public awareness campaigns, drainage clearance and emergency preparedness efforts to reduce the impact of anticipated floods.
