Flooding: Lagos Threatens To Evict Cane Weavers

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Lagos State Government yesterday said it might be forced to evict cane weavers under Maryland Bridge for causing flood in the area. Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, who said this at a press briefing held at the Bagauda Kalto Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, blamed flood recorded in parts of the state on improper waste disposal.

Adejare said the cane weavers had earlier blocked the drain where the water from the bridge was to discharge into the main collector right under the bridge with concrete, leaving the bridge and the road flooded. The commissioner urged the cane weavers to operate with a sense of responsibilities otherwise government would be forced to relocate their business from the area.

He said: “I will be going to Ojota right after this briefing. This is the second time this is happening; the last rain too also flooded the bridge. When we investigated the situation, it was discovered that drain where the water was to discharge had been blocked because they said water was destroying where they are working.

“Are they supposed to be there in the first instance? I am going to take them out of that place this evening. We will repair it and I assure you that it will not happen on that bridge again. “I grew up to meet cane weavers under the bridge but if they are not going to be responsible because their fathers that started the business have all gone, we will have no choice but ask them to leave.”

He assured residents that plans were on for a new water policy that would ensure that households in the metropolis have access to potable water. Adejare, however, said that government was not relenting in its effort to clear the drains so as to avoid flooding at the peak of rainfall.