Cosmas Omegoh, Lagos
In a bid to restore cleanliness to housing estates and other parts of Lagos State, the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) has reiterated its readiness to promote a cleaner, hygienic and aesthetically pleasing environment through the constant monitoring of environmental infractions and other nuisances such as distressed soak-aways, inappropriate discharge of wastewater, defective plumbing works, improper waste disposal and untidy general surroundings in Lagos.
According to Adebayo Kehinde of the Public Affairs Unit, the Corps Marshal of the agency, CP Gbemisola Akinpelu (retd), said ‘the present administration of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu is poised at ensuring a healthy and cleaner environment and as such the agency would continue to ensure necessary compliance and enforcement of all environmental laws across the nooks and crannies of the State.
The Corps Marshal disclosed that through its Monitoring Team and petitions from concerned citizens, the agency recently noted that three blocks of flats at the Millennium Housing Estate, Oko-Oba, Agege, contravened environmental infractions and were served abatement notices on account of the infractions, notably for distressed soak-away, defective plumbing works, vegetal nuisance, open discharge of effluence, unkempt general surroundings among others. In a similar case, a block of flats at Falowo bus-stop, Jakande Estate, Ejigbo have also been served with notices on related environmental infractions in line and accordingly to restore sanity.
The agency also carried out its operational activities around Olaolu Street, Igbeyin Adun Street in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government for other environmental contraventions, while four buildings/complexes including a hotel around Egbeda-Akonwonjo area of the state were also issued with abatement notices on account of erecting permanent slabs on public drains with no provision for ease of desilting, a development causing disruption of the free flow of water in the area, resulting into flooding.
Mrs Akinpelu said that the exercise will be continuous and sustained in gated estates and other areas of the State, stressing that environmental infractions will not be tolerated and that anyone caught violating the environmental laws of the State would be punished accordingly.
She admonished Lagosians to adhere to the directives issued by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, urging residents not to dump refuse in drainage channels or erect structures on drainage alignments, emphasising that residents owe the State a duty to support the efforts of the Sanwo-Olu administration to ensure that expected heavy rainfall and release of dam waters do not wreak havoc in any part of the State.