Gov. Charles Soludo of Anambra, on Friday flagged off the clearance of blocked drainage in Ochanja market, Onitsha.
Speaking at the flag-off of the exercise, Soludo, represented by his Deputy, Mr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, said that the clearance of the drainage would also be done in 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Anambra.
He urged that trees should be planted by the road side to save the environment and prevent erosion that had resulted in loss of lives and property during rainy seasons.
According to him, “it is important to stop the unquantifiable loss of lives and property which often occur from flooding and erosion in Anambra.
”There are some drainage that has not been desilted for years and that is what we are doing to desilt them to allow free flow of flood.
”We also ban trading along the roads because most of their wastes later find their way back to the drainage after they were desilted.
”Those who ignore the directive should be taken to court,” he said.
He noted that although some people deliberately disobey the law, thinking that nothing would happen, the State Ministry of Environment would no longer tolerate such attitudes from them.
He stressed the need to restore the lost glory of Onitsha, adding that those who use concrete culverts as bridges across the gutters to their shops should remove them immediately.
In his contribution, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Felix Odumegwu, stressed the need for a clean State, saying that flooding occurred in some parts of the state following the recent rainfall.
Also, the Managing Director, Anambra State Waste Management Authority, Mr Mike Ozoemena, said that cleanliness of the environment is a priority to avoid sickness.
Earlier, the chairman of Onitsha North Local Government Area, Mr Onochie Ozoma, stated that Gov. Soludo is doing the needful in ensuring that Anambra remains clean. (NAN)
