The Delta State Government has charged residents of the state to ensure that they maintain good sanitation habits in order to prevent blockade of the drains to avoid flood challenges in the state.
The Secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah, gave the charge yesterday in a meeting on flood alert with landlords and other stakeholders within the state capital territory inside Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba.
The SSG stated that the meeting was called in order to sensitize the landlords and stakeholders on the report received from the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the steps that need to be taken to mitigate the effect of the flood when eventually it comes.
Chief Ukah warned that anyone caught defaulting the environmental laws will be prosecuted.
He said the Government will no longer tolerate indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainages which he said affected the free flow of flood water whenever it rained.
The SSG called on the landlords to go back to sensitize their tenants on the need to keep their surroundings clean even as he stated that a two-week ultimatum had been given to them to comply with the directive.
In her presentation, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Dr. Mrs Minnie Oseji said the state had taken proactive measures through her ministry to ensure that the impact of the flood will be curtailed whenever it comes.
Also, in his presentation, the Chairman, Waste Management Board, Mr. Chinye Bazim, said his board will ensure that PSP’s in the state do their job effectively to rid the state of waste.
In their various remarks, the Landlords’ Associations Executives who spoke, commended the state government for calling the meeting even as they pledged their support in assisting the government in its objective of sustaining a cleaner environment in the state.
