The Government of Oyo State, an inland state in south-western Nigeria, has announced that 24 rivers in the state will be dredged as part of the proactive measures to mitigate against flooding.
The government noted in its statement that the rivers have been approved for dredging through the World Bank assisted project, Ibadan Urban Flood management, stressing that the measures are part of the action taken by the government in preparedness for the heavy downpour.
Mr. Isaac Ishola, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, revealed this information during a visit to Ikere Dam, Ikere Village, Iseyin, last week.
The commissioner added that the visit to the dam was to ascertain the level at which waste water is being discharged in order not to cause overflowing of other dams which could lead to flood, saying “the 2011 flood was as a result of overflows of Eleyele dam reservoir. Therefore, we will visit every dam in the state as part of measures put in place by government to mitigate re-occurrence of flood.”
Mr. Ishola also commended the Federal Government’s effort for putting in place necessary machinery for the effective use of Ikere Dam, pledging that there will be synergy between the State and the Federal Government in turning the place to a tourist center that will improve the Internally Generated Revenue.
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