Flooding: Nasarawa to demolish all structures built on water ways, *** as 86 sanitation defaulters were arrested in Nasarawa

By David Okpashi

WORRIED by the level of devastation occasioned by incessant flooding in the state Nasarawa State Government said it would demolished all structures built on water ways to stem increase cases of flooding.

State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources,. Yakubu Kwanta gave the threat Saturday in Lafia shortly after monitoring this months sanitation exercise made the disclosure while briefing newsmen on Saturday in Lafia after the August sanitation exercise.

Represented by the Chief Environment Officer who double as the Chief Prosecutor of the ministry, warned that the government and indeed the ministry of environment was coming in with a proactive modalities that would help prevent and reduce the high rate of flood disaster in the state.

One of the measures the Commissioner said would be to demolish all structures build on the water ways, prosecute owners of such structures to serve as detetrint to other,

“The ministry would no longer encourage the attitude of the residents building on unauthorized areas especially the water ways blocking the free flow of water, thereby increasing flooding and ravaging the State”.

He explained that the decision to demolish the structures followed the recent prediction by NIMET that there would be flooding in 25 states including Nasarawa State adding that already the government has directed the residents around the flood prone areas to relocate to safer grounds.

“When you block the water ways and prevent water flow, you are inviting disaster, because it will be difficult for water to fine its way out,” Kwanta added.

The Commissioner who expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance in this months sanitation exercise also lauded the traditional rulers, Chairmen of local government Councils as well as the security agencies for the success of the exercise.

The Commissioner however announced the arrest of 85 defaulters for failling to adhere to the sanitation law adding also that about 98 percent of the shops and business owners complied with the sanitation exercise in the state.

While urging the residents to clean up their surrounding during the sanitation,
declared however that the state was shutdown during the exercise in line with the estant law of the state, except those on essential services.

“We only allowed those with permit from relevant authorities and those on essential services to move from one point to the other during the exercise,” , the commissioner stated.

Meanwhile a total of 86 sanitation offenders who violated the environmental sanitation laws across the state were arrested and prosecuted by various mobile courts across the 13 Local government Areas.