Lagos warns of more violent storms

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said the state would experience more violent storms before the end of 2012.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello, who urged residents to join forces with the government to minimise the impact of the storms, said the state was alerted of the violent storms by its in-house scientists.

Bello spoke at a town hall meeting, where Governor Babatunde Fashola said those who indulged in abuse of the environment were “enemies of the state.”

At the meeting, which was tagged, ‘Effective environmental sanitation for a cleaner Lagos’, the commissioner said, “If we all work together, we can minimise the impact of weather change in our state.

“We are expecting heavy rains this year, with wind and storm. Our experts told us that the rains would be heavier than that of last year. We will let you know anytime we are going to have storm. Nowhere is safe, but we can minimise the impact if we all work together and clean our environment.”

Bello warned traders and hawkers in the state to desist from throwing filths into canals and drains. He said markets that violated the environmental law of the state would be closed for three months.

The commissioner said the state had been clearing drainages and building new ones. He added, however, that the government would not promise a flood-free year.

He said, “Don’t forget that rivers in Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti empty their waters into Lagos lagoon.

“Now, the Atlantic Ocean has risen alarmingly, so much that it is difficult for the lagoon to empty its water into the ocean. This is what we face in Lagos. This state is the most vulnerable because it is below the sea level.”

Fashola, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, wondered why people flagrantly abuse the environment by dumping refuse indiscriminately, defecating and urinating in the open and trampling on green areas.

The governor said, “I therefore emphasise the state governments zero tolerance for all forms of environmental abuses. Thus whoever indulges in such behaviour, whether high or low, wealthy or poor is considered an enemy of the state.

“We cannot allow our efforts of four years to be thwarted by those who have constituted themselves into a clog in the wheel of progress.”

A guest speaker, Mr. Ayo Tella, urged planting of trees in homes and environment to combat the impact of climate change.