Edo State to demolish buildings on waterways to curb flooding

The Edo State Government in Nigeria is taking decisive action to combat the persistent threat of flooding by demolishing structures built on waterways and flood channels. This initiative aims to clear blockages and restore natural drainage systems, thereby reducing the impact of seasonal floods across the state.

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Most of the issues we are finding, or rather we’ve discovered, are blocked drainages as a result of indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

Jerry Idahosa, Executive Secretary of the Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EDOSEMA), announced that the government has identified numerous buildings erected on the Benin moat and drainage channels clogged by indiscriminate waste disposal. These encroachments have significantly worsened flood risks. In response, the agency is preparing camps for internally displaced persons in anticipation of potential flood emergencies.

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We are also making our plans working with the Ministry of Environment and the Edo Waste Management Board to see how we can implement stiff measures for those offenders or defaulters.

Communities identified as high-risk include Illushi in Esan South-East Local Government Area, and Etsako Central and Etsako East local government areas. Residents in flood-prone areas have been advised to relocate to higher ground as a proactive disaster management measure. EDOSEMA has also begun compiling details of affected individuals, including approximately 1,000 farmers whose farmlands were destroyed and 57 residents impacted in Igarra.

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Another area where we are also working is with the Ministry of Physical Planning because we have seen majority of our moats have been blocked. Community leaders sold this moat or rather they filled up these moats and they sell them to people to develop on them.

The government is collaborating with the Ministry of Environment, the Edo Waste Management Board, and the Ministry of Physical Planning to enforce stricter measures against offenders. This includes identifying and marking illegal structures built on moats, which community leaders have reportedly sold to developers, and subsequently demolishing them. These efforts are in line with warnings from meteorological and hydrological agencies about heightened flood risks during the rainy season.

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We are working closely with the Ministry of Physical Planning to identify and mark these houses and when they are identified, we’ll bring them down because it is clearly stated that the moats are supposed to be waterways where floods are supposed to be channeled.