By KEMI KASUMU
The National Orientation Agency (NOA), on Thursday, took its sensitisation campaign against flooding to Isolo town in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State.
It will be recalled that flooding has been a major issue confronting communities in Isolo town, which makes the ancient town one of targeted areas in the anti-flood campaign of the Federal agency.
To sensitise residents on the human factor side of the environmental challenge, agents of National Orientation Agency, accompanied by Ministry of the Environment officials, visited some communities in the town with a view to deliberating on possible government intervention.
The team of NOA led by Mrs Busola Olumide Atiba, with Coordinator Akure South and Mr Ogunleye Rotimi, Director of Ecology, Ministry of Environment, were conducted round the communities.
Speaking with the government officials who first called at his palace before visiting the communities, the king stated that he has made efforts to salvage the communities from flooding.
Oba Osolo lamented that many houses have been deserted as a result of flooding.
He then seized the medium to appeal to government again to do something this time because government agencies such as Ministry of Works, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, among others, he said, had come but nothing had been done.
The director of ecology, Ministry of Environment observed that structures have been built on water channels, which hampers its free flow and “there is need for construction of standard culverts to accommodate the volume of water.”
He, therefore, noted that excavating tractor would not be able to channel the drainage due to its narrowness but promised manual channelisation and also advised house owners to construct drainages.
NOA, on its part, sensitised the residents to desist from activities that could cause flooding such as erection of structures on water channels, dumping of refuse in drainages among others.
The communities visited were Ajayeoba, Akinsulu, Temidire, Seun Ogunkoya, Dare Ajayi, Dayo Idowu, Ifelodun, Osukoti, Ibukun Olu and Tinubu streets.
