Drainage: Lagos govt warns against indiscriminate refuse dumping

By Olasunkanmi Akoni LAGOS—THE Lagos State government has warned residents against dumping waste into canals and drainage channels, cautioning that the illegal practice severely threatens public sanitation and heightens the risk of flash flooding across the state. The Head of Service, Bode Agoro, gave the warning during the October edition of the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

He urged council chairman and community leaders to actively mobilize residents to improve environmental standards in their domains. He stressed that “maintaining environmental hygiene requires continuous civic commitment.” Agoro stated that officials personally observed residents discarding refuse into local waterways during the exercise. While the Ministry of the Environment has been alerted to clear the clogged channels and plans are being drawn up with drainage authorities to reconstruct key infrastructure in affected areas, Agoro warned that engineering solutions “will fail if indiscriminate waste disposal continues.”