The National Coordinator, Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers (NIWE), Engr Adeyinka Sobowale has called for the dredging of the Ogun River to address the challenge of perennial flooding in Lagos and Ogun States.
Sobowale also advised the federal government to consider the construction of a third bigger dam, the Ikere and Oyan dams, both in Oyo and Ogun, respectively, to control the high volume of water flowing from Oyo into Lagos and Ogun states.
He stated this while addressing newsmen on the 2024 World Water Day on Friday in Abeokuta, with the theme ‘Water for Peace’.
He therefore sought collaboration between the governments of Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos to devise practical plans to address the annual flooding issue, most especially in Ogun and Oyo States.
He explained that the problem in the Ogun River Basin is a very simple one because there are a set of actions that must be taken.
“The first action is to quantify the amount of water that is causing problems. Identify where the water is coming from. There is a need to do what is called flood control, and this will require the use of the dam and the reservoir.
“One of the problems we have identified, especially in the lower Ogun Section because that’s where the flooding is, is anything below Abeokuta to the Atlantic Ocean.
“One of the challenges of that stretch is that the river channel has been silted up. It is normal that a river coming from the island will bring sediments and deposits to the lowlands.
“Those sediments are very rich in nutrients, which is why on the flood plains of the Ogun River, the vegetables they eat in Lagos are produced there. All the fertilizers used in Oyo State, that is where it is going. The river brings it. This means that all the sediments have taken over the channels to be occupied by water.
“When you have blocked the channel, naturally, water will always find its way. The river must be dredged from Mokoloki down to the Atlantic Ocean.
“There are so many riverine communities that have been encroached upon on the flood plains. All those must give way because there will always be an annual inundation.
“People have the mindset that the cause of the flooding is the Oyan Dam release. My personal research has proven that it is not. The water that is causing the real problem is the uncontrolled water coming from Oyo State on the Ogun channel.
“You know the Oyan River forms a confluence with Ogun, just before Lafenwa. We have been able to determine that the bucket of water is what is causing the problem. Last September, about 4000 cubic volumes of water arrived in Lafenwa, not in June or July.
“Where do you expect such water to flow? Definitely, there is a need for a third dam this time around, a large one, in order to control the flood water and release it gradually. The dam must be bigger than Ikere and Oyo for water retention and gradual release.”
He added that if the three states can pull their resources together to control the flood, the large volume of water can be put to more productive and beneficial purposes, such as irrigation for farming and aquaculture.
On the access to safe water in Ogun State, Sobowale urged the state government to expand the public water supply to more areas, particularly in the urban areas of the state.
He also emphasised the need for all 36 states of the federation to establish their own water regulatory agencies to regulate the activities of service providers to ensure quality control, processing, and consumption of safe water by the people.
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