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Flood: Kwara Gov't Warns Against Indiscriminate Refuse Dump


...Says no life is worth losing to flood or any other disasters

Kwara State Government has warmed the general public to desist from dumping refuse indiscriminately in view of its attendant threat to the physical environment and lives of innocent kwarans.

The State Commissioner for Communication, Alhaji Olarewaju Muritala gave the admonition on Tuesday while fielding questions from reporters in his office.

He said, it is high time people complied voluntarily with the environmental laws that basically seeks to inculcate a hygienic culture, failing, which he said, usually amounts to blockage of waterways that can lead to flood disaster.

" Our people need to eschew this ugly practice. Both the government and individuals are loosing in whatever forms to flood annually. Apart from that the government is not happy about the violation of environmental protection law, because it is for our own good, no life is worth losing to disastrous events not to talk of flooding that is believed to be avoidable in many occasions", he said.

Environment is said to be abused when defaced with accumulated waste, or burning waste inside its containers, or defecating at open places, or as a result of pollutions.

The Commissioner, while citing that many drainages in the Ilorin metropolis have been blocked with sand or dirt amidst heavy rainfalls, said that the breach of environmental standards does not only attract flood but can also prompt an outbreak of diseases.

He condemned the common idea of some residents expecting officials of the government to come and clear gutters in front of their houses for them, noting that the act does not reflect that they are civic-minded and has to be changed.

Olarewaju, who recalled the tragic downpour that claimed lives of passengers plying the collapsed Oko-Erin bridge few days back, said the incident was not unconnected with the pressure from obstructed water-flow, advising passengers to be sensitive to raining time. He also enjoined kwarans to henceforth dump their garbages properly by making use of the bins the government has stationed around for easy evacuation or engaging private waste collectors.

Reiterating the government's resolve to respond to all cases of emergency and palliate the victims, he however said that the ongoing dredging of some rivers and reconstruction of the damaged culverts and bridges across the state are another proactive steps by Governor AbdulRazaq to forestall flooding. He advised against engendering self-imposed calamities and called on those living in river-rine communities to be vigilant and endeavor to consider temporary relocation when necessary.

He then praised the officials of the State Ministry of Environment, State Environmental Protection Agency and the special taskforce on waste management for their commitment and charged them to continue to live up to the expectations of the public, adding that it becomes imperative to strive to reduce cases of violating the environmental laws to the nearest minimum in the state.


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