Ondo State Government has sympathized with the Osemawe of Ondo and the people of Ondo kingdom on the flash flood that occurred in some parts of the community on Friday.
This is just as Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has ordered the evacuation of the affected areas and rapid response of the government to halt further damages.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Oyeniyi Oseni, in a statement, declared that the State Government had put every necessary machinery in place to avert the possible flood as predicted by NIMET.
According to him, Amphibious Excavators had been deployed into critical erosion-prone areas in the state for dredging.
Oyeniyi posited that an Amphibious Excavator has been working in Ondo kingdom in the past two weeks, precisely in Laje and Oke-Odunwo, the areas identified as the most critical erosion prone locations, while the Amphibious Excavator had also carried out dredging activities in Akure, Igbokoda, and Ore.
Oseni said that his findings revealed the urgent need to further dredge some canals along Captain Cook up to the sawmill area of Ondo which will commence today (Saturday).
He promised that the Amphibious Excavator will continue to work in the area to allow free flow of water through the canal.
The Commissioner informed that the cause of the flooding on Friday also could be attributed to development on waterways in an Estate at Fagun and along Ife road.
He, therefore, stated that his Ministry is going to collaborate with the relevant MDAs to address the unlawful development along the waterways.
He assured the Kabiyesi and the people of the town that the Amphibious Excavator would continue the dredging of the canal until the problem is resolved.
Meanwhile, as part of the response to the flash flood in Ondo on Friday, Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has directed officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to mobilise to the affected areas.
The Permanent Secretary in the office of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Idowu Ojo, is to lead the SEMA team that will assess the damages and engage with victims.
This is just as the officials of the state government led by the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Niyi Oseni, and the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, visited the canals that have been cleared on Saturday.
Already, some of the drains that have been blocked by land developers and others have been identified and necessary steps to be taken by the government.
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