FG explains flooding on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

The River Niger overflows its banks, flooding the Lokoja-Abuja road. PHOTO: Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

The Federal Government yesterday blamed  the flooding of portions of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on some companies which built structures on water channels along the road.

But it directed the contractor handling the flooded portions to provide more palliatives to ameliorate the difficulties caused to motorists by the development.

In a statement explaining the cause of the flooding at a portion of the road opposite the Mountain Top University (MFM) in Ogun State where construction is currently ongoing, government said the flooding at the portion became severe because the various structures built along the road had blocked the water channels through which runoffs were to flow away from the road, adding that the water retention spot of the whole area had been blocked off by building on the wet zones.

The statement explained that these locations, which are now built up, were the drainage basins where surface runoff was directed when the road was built about 40 years ago.

It said the flooding has also been accentuated by some of the communities in the area believed to be discharging their runoffs to the road where drains are yet to be provided, adding that the rains have also been unusually heavy in the past few days, thereby undermining the palliative efforts recently done by the contractor.