Flooding: FG Send Strong Warning Against Open Defecation, Refuse Dumping

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The Minister of Water Resources And Sanitation Joseph Utsev has berated the misconception that the Dam is responsible for the annual deluge of flooding, maitaining that open defecation, refuse dumping to waterways are major causes, but, dam prevents and controls the flooding.

Utsev stated this on Tuesday, during a courtesy visit to Oyan Dam Ogun State, as part of the effort to see ways of preventing the annual deluge of flooding in the state.

He boasted that it is a misconception and undecided assessment to say that the River Basin and dam are the causes of flooding, and posited that the actual purpose of the dam is to control flooding and bring the issue of perennial flooding to a barest minimum.

Utsev cautioned Nigerians to stop dumping refuse into the water channels, maintaining that refuse dumping into waterways is a cause of flooding.

He advised that the community affected by the flooding should remove the structures that are blocking the waterways.

Utsev disclosed that the Ministry of Water and Sanitation is working on a document, on how to control flooding throughout the country, stating the process is ongoing, and is one of the strategies the ministry is putting in, by enlightening the Nigerians, on what they would and things they need to do.

According to him, Minister of Water Resources And Sanitation Joseph Utsev has berated the misconception that the Dam is responsible for the annual deluge of flooding in Ogun State, saying that instead, the dam prevents and controls the flooding.

Utsev stated this on Tuesday, during a courtesy visit to Oyan Dam Ogun State, as part of the effort to see ways of preventing the annual deluge of flooding in the state.

Utsev cautioned Nigerians to stop dumping refuse into the water channels, maintaining that refuse dumping into waterways is a cause of flooding.

He advised that the community affected by the flooding should vacate the structures and remove the structures that are blocking the waterways.

According to him, We are here in Ogun state principally to see of our facilities that we have in Ogun State, the River basin that spans from Ogun State to Lagos and another state in the country because about some day ago we had a crisis of flooding that leverage some part of Ogun state that span through Lagos state”

“We are here at the Oyan Dam to see what is going on, there is some misconception that the Dam is causing the flooding, the actual purpose of coming, the actual purpose of the dam is to control flooding and to bring the issue of perennial flooding down to the barest minimum”.

“In other ways, the dam is helping to control flooding that is taking place here. So, as we are going around, we will try to talk to the community and stakeholders to vacate or remove the structures that are blocking the waterways”. He emphasized.

“And we also advise the citizens to stop dumping refuse in the channels, because refuse is one of the things that cause flooding. We are working on a document on how to control flooding throughout the country, the process is ongoing, and this is one of the strategies we are trying to put in, by enlightening the Nigerians, on what they would and things they need to do”.

On the issue of water channelization, the Minister maintained that he would do everything needed to address the issue, adding that, once he gets back to Abuja, he would request that some of the challenges brought to his office to know what is happening, while assuring that the ministry would leave no stone unturned.

“One of our citizens was talking about channelization, there is a need that all this needs to be addressed. As we go back to Abuja, we will be requesting some of them to bring their challenges to our office, to see how it happens and what we can do, we will leave no stone unturned and how we can be advised on things that should be done either by the government of the community”.

“We are into what is called partial commercialization, the Ogun Osun River basin is partially commercialized, and that is what is ongoing now, and it not just Ogun Osun River basin alone we are doing it in all 12 River basin that we have in the country, we are looking into how to bring investors to the country, as you have seen some of them here, bringing their funds and do business a as to work with the government of Nigeria to earnest the yarning of Nigerians”.

“One of the epoch agenda of Mr. President is economy growth, food security, as you can see a lot of things have been on the ground to see how things can be done, irrigation is ongoing, we are looking at the food production, rice processing factory, and fish, when all these things had been done, will be marketed and exposed the economy of the country to be improved”