The Lagos State government has reiterated its commitment to protecting its coastline and building a safer, more resilient, and friendly environment for future generations.

The commissioner for the environment and water resources, Tokunbo Wahab, spoke at the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France.

“Lagos, as a coastal state, faces severe climate risks from rising sea levels, extreme rainfall, and excessive heat. But we are not sitting back. We are building resilient infrastructure.

“So, as a state, we must face our realities, and those realities are that we must build resilient infrastructure, which is key, and we must also take ownership of those infrastructure, which is very key,” he said.

Mr Wahab said the state had invested in its drainage systems over the past two years to reduce the possibility of flash flooding.

“At the last count, in the past two years, we have, as an administration, done about 76 kilometres of trapezoidal drainage system statewide,” he said.

Mr Wahab noted that the state, with over 13,000 tonnes of daily waste generation, was moving from a linear disposal system to a circular model where waste becomes a resource for energy and recovery.

He stated that the state was transforming the way it managed plastic waste.

“This is by religiously following a trajectory that had already banned the use of styrofoam food containers and moving on to effect the enforcement of its ban on single-use plastics from July 1, after an 18-month moratorium to users and producers.

“In the last two years, we have chosen to categorise waste as a resource. So, we have transitioned from a pick-and-dump system to a more sustainable, climate-friendly system where waste is now a resource for wealth and a resource for energy,” Mr Wahab stressed.

(NAN)