Delta to demolish structures on waterways to checkmate flooding

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has declared that the state government will demolish structures built on waterways in an attempt to reduce the devastating impact of flood in the state.

Okowa therefore, charged officials of the state Ministry of Lands and Survey to avoid issuing building approval certificates to property developers without visiting such sites to know whether they are on roads or waterways.

According to the governor, any official of the ministry who engages in such action will face sanctions as his administration is set to demolish structures on waterways, especially in Warri, Uvwie and environs.

He spoke on Monday in Asaba when he received the final preliminary report of the committee set up to study and advice the state government on measures required to tackle and control flooding of Effurun/Warri and its environs.

“There is a lot of challenges if we are to ensure that the water will be properly discharged from our towns and cities; it is more disturbing during the rainy season. Our planning department needs to do it right because any building that has no building plan will be pulled down.

“Henceforth, for any building plan for approval, those who are in- charge of the approvals must go to site; people must be alive to their duties and not just sit in their offices and approve building plans because for our people who are building on natural waterways, the structures will be pulled down.

“If there is any marked building, the people must stop the construction and it must be enforced. It is our desire to reduce the level of flooding in Warri, Effurun and its environs. What we are doing in Warri, Uvwie and environs is as a result of issues raised during the town hall meetings and as a state government we are committed to starting the project.

“We are going to hold proper stakeholders meeting because from what I see, the property on waterways are much and we have to bring them down; flood has chased people out of their houses and we have to get it right for our people,” the governor said.

Earlier, Chairman of the committee, John Onwualu had disclosed that “large parts of the flooding in Warri, Uvwie and environs is caused by blocked drainages, overgrown weeds on water channels and developers building on waterways; otherwise, there are natural waterways in the area.”

He noted that 101 flood prone areas and 13 natural courses have been identified in the area.