Flood: Residents urge demolition of shanties

What does it feel like to live under the constant threat of flood? To live in constant fear of a clouded sky, pregnant with a downpour that was otherwise meant to bless the land and ensure food supply?

Residents of Marshy Hill Estate, at Oke-Ira in highbrow Ajah, in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State knew how it feels. They will readily attest to it not in any way palatable.

That was why they are appealing to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to order the removal of shanties and structures obstructing the drainage system within the estate.

This was because they have been able to trace the cause of their plight to the obstruction of the drainage within the estate.

In a petition sent to Governor Sanwo-Olu, the residents said these structures which just sprang up around the community, especially on Ade Aromasodun Street and Maxi Ibe/Lamina Street, by Aina bus stop have led to persistent flooding whenever it rains, threatening lives and properties of residents of the estate.

The statement, signed by Clement Adegoke and Ale-Daniel Ola-Oluwa, the Chairman and Secretary of the estate respectively, urged the governor to direct the inspection of the estate by respective agencies and departments of the government in order to determine the extent of the obstruction and to proffer solutions that would help protect lives and property of the concerned residents.

The letter, a copy of which was sighted by our correspondent, was also copied to the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Ministry of The Environment, Ministry of Physical Planning and the Director-General Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

Also copied were the Lagos State House of Assembly, the General Manager, Lagos State New Towns Development Authority, the Chairman Eti-Osa Local Government Area and the LASBCA District Officer, Eti-Ossa Local Government Area.

They called on the governor to direct the removal of all structures and shanties blocking all drainage and canals on all streets within Marshy Hill Estate in Ajah.

Adegoke said residents of the area always feel worried anytime it seemed it would rain for fear of the wanton destruction that it would cause.

He said Marshy Hill Estate has never experienced such flooding as they experienced this year, adding that if this continued, they may soon be submerged by the flood.

Adegoke, who described residents of the estate as “endangered species” urged the state government to quickly come to their aid to prevent loss of lives and further damage to their property.

He said they resorted to appealing to the governor to make their plight known to him because they could no longer afford a situation where they continue to live under the threats of flood, especially knowing that their plights were caused by the indiscretion of some people who decided to build right on the drainage paths, thus forcing the flood to invade their property when its natural paths have been compromised.

He said the residents would be happy if government would demolish all structures and shanties causing the flooding of the area.