- Wahab said the ministry had issued violation notices to the buildings regarding the drainage setbacks
The Lagos State government has disclosed that it will commence the demolition of properties on drainages in Apapa area of the state on Monday (today)
The state government stated that the enforcement operations was aimed at re-establishing the three-metre drainage right-of-way for all its drainage channels in the area.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
According to him, the enforcement followed the expiration of notices and convening of stakeholders meetings with the property owners earlier in the year to move their fences that fell within the drainage setback.
Wahab said the ministry had issued violation notices to the buildings regarding the drainage setbacks.
He added that for several years, the ministry had not been able to access the eight major collectors for maintenance purposes due to encroachment, which was a major contributor to flooding in the Apapa area.
Wahab said the state government was determined to find a address the flooding in Apapa head-on.
He directed enforcement officers to ensure that all contravening properties were removed from the drainage right-of-way in accordance with the three metres required by law.
The commissioner assured the government would not be bias during enforcement.
“We want to check the state of collectors in Apapa in order to evacuate and treat the collectors.
“The whole of the collectors in this area are blocked and the right-of-way taken over by individuals who moved their fences in order to acquire extra land, thereby denying us access to the drains,” Mr Wahab said