The Ogun government has warned residents living in flood-prone areas to relocate to safer locations or higher elevations ahead of the looming flood disaster in the state.

The commissioner for environment, Ola Oresanya, who gave the warning at a news conference on Tuesday in Abeokuta, said the alert was based on the Federal Government’s 2024 flood prediction.

According to Mr Oresanya, the federal government had written to about 31 states, including Ogun, informing them of imminent flooding between April and November.

The commissioner said that 16 of the 20 local government areas in the state are expected to record heavy rainfall.

He, however, called for calm, saying that the state government was making necessary arrangements to avert possible damage from possible flood.

“In spite of this alert, let me call on the residents of the state to remain calm as the state government is putting necessary measures in place to reduce the effects of the expected heavy rainfalls. We are already distilling various drainage channels and opening links to rivers and stream channels. 

“Aside from these, the state government will continue its proactive synergy with the management of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority on managing the release of water from the two dams – Ikere Gorge Dam located on the Ogun River and Oyan Dam. All these are steps to reduce the impact of flooding during the wet season in the state,” he said.

Mr Oresanya also stressed that the state government’s newly introduced Drainage Permit was to reduce the impact of flooding in the state, and appealed to residents to support the initiative.

Olufemi Odumosu, the managing director of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (O-ORBDA), said that the authority had implemented necessary measures to assist the state government in mitigating the effects of a possible flood disaster.

Mr Odumosu said he was delighted at the synergy between the state and federal governments to tackle the menace of possible flooding. 

(NAN)