Gbenga Oloniniran The Lagos State Government has urged residents and property owners at the Ogun River banks to prepare to relocate to higher ground. The warning came on Thursday as the authorities of Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority commenced staggered release of water from Oyan Dam. The government also said it was collaborating with Ogun authorities to monitor the situation.
The PUNCH reports that following the flood scare occasioned by the release of water from the Oyan River Dam, some residents of communities at Isheri, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State, have already begun to evacuate their homes. On Saturday, the residents started to witness a gradual increase in the current of the Ogun River. The water was also said to have overflowed, spreading across areas that are a few metres away from the river bank.
Addressing the media during a briefing at Alausa, Ikeja, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said it was crucial to understand that the dam’s annual operations were informed by real-time hydrological data, rainfall predictions from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and flood outlooks from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency. He said the state government and the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority acknowledged the concerns raised regarding the release of water from the dam and its impact on surrounding communities, particularly those along the Ogun River water channels extending into Lagos State. .
