0
Idongesit Ashameri
The Akwa Ibom State Government has declared its existing flood management infrastructure obsolete, citing rapid urbanisation and new developments across the state.
Governor Umo Eno has therefore announced plans to develop a new flood and drainage master plan to address the worsening environmental challenges.
The development comes barely a week after devastating floods displaced residents in parts of the state and were alleged to have claimed lives.
Governor Umo Eno, who disclosed this while speaking to journalists in Uyo on Thursday, also ordered the demolition of buildings obstructing natural drainage channels and announced the establishment of the Clean Akwa Ibom Brigade to strengthen flood prevention and drainage maintenance.
Eno said he had directed the Commissioner for Environment to immediately assemble environmental experts, engineers and other relevant stakeholders to produce a modern flood and drainage master plan to guide infrastructure development, drainage construction and flood mitigation across the state.
“We need to have a state flood and drainage master plan. The one we have is old. There are new developments that have taken place. We are bringing all our experts together and will develop the state flood master plan so that we can use it,” the Governor said.
As part of the renewed environmental strategy, the Governor announced the establishment of the Clean Akwa Ibom Brigade, a specialised unit under the Ministry of Environment to focus on keeping drainage channels free of obstructions and supporting flood-control efforts.
He explained that the brigade would complement existing environmental agencies, stressing that flood control required a specialised operational approach distinct from routine waste collection.
The Governor also issued a stern warning against illegal developments, declaring that any building found on designated drainage routes would be demolished, irrespective of ownership, status or previous approvals.
He said the government would no longer tolerate developments that block waterways, endanger lives and property or worsen flooding in surrounding communities.
To strengthen enforcement, Eno directed the Ministry of Environment, the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency and the Office of the Attorney-General to establish Environmental Sanitation Courts to prosecute offenders who violate sanitation regulations.
Rather than relying solely on monetary penalties, he said the courts would impose community service on offenders, requiring them to participate in environmental clean-up activities, particularly the clearing of blocked drains.
The Governor further announced stricter enforcement of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, declaring that movement would be restricted across the state on the last Saturday of every month between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
He warned that ceremonies, commercial activities and arriving travellers would not be exempted from the restriction until the sanitation exercise had been concluded.
Eno said while government would continue investing in drainage infrastructure and flood management, residents must also demonstrate greater environmental responsibility by keeping their surroundings clean and complying with sanitation regulations.
“We will do our part, but we also expect all of us as citizens to do our own part too… so that we can solve some of these problems,” he said.
