Our Reporter
Edo State Government has commenced the removal of sand and debris from drains, manholes and reinjection ponds located within Benin city.
Addressing newsmen at the flood reinjection pond at Ihama axis of the Government Residential Area of Benin on Wednesday, Dame Omua Oni-Okpaku, the Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability , said the desilting was to allow free flow of rain water across the city.
Oni-Okpaku said the cleaning of the drains was also to curb the flooding challenges being experienced within the city centre.
She said the flooding problem in Benin city was man made and caused by silted drains and dumping of refuse in drains and water retention ponds.
Oni-Okpaku called for a change of attitude as regards dumping of refuse in drains, noting that government could not continue to spend money it would have used to build more canals on desilting of drains.
“We have started desilting of drains and water reinjection ponds at flood flash points to curtail the flooding challenge within the city area.
“We have seven reinjection ponds within the city centre and we will desilt them.
“But we cannot continue to desilt gutters, the residents need to understand that they need to clean their gutters and stop dumping refuse in drains,” she explained.
The commissioner said the removal of debris from the reinjection ponds was done once in two years to ensure the ponds were empty to hold rain water.
Meanwhile, Chief Victor Amedu, the contractor from V. Amcon Nig. Ltd, handling the reactivation of the reinjection pond at Ihama, said the pond built about 11 years ago needed to be maintained on a regular basis.
Amedu said the reactivation of the pond would help curb flooding challenges in the area as it could hold 120,000 litres of water per day. (NAN)
