The Technical Assistant to the Bayelsa Governor on Environment, Chief Alagoa Morris has emphasized the need for a collaborative approach by stakeholders to effectively address perennial flooding and other environmental challenges in the State.
Speaking during an advocacy visit to the Chairman of the State Environmental Sanitation Board, Chief Timothy Diekivie-Itiedu at his office in Yenagoa, He commended the Bayelsa Environmental Sanitation Board for the efficient disposal of wastes and clearing of drainages in Yenagoa and other parts of the States.
The Technical Assistant to the Governor who made a case for the Sanitation Courts to be empowered by relevant laws and resources to prosecute environmental offenders also canvassed the introduction of sewage treatment plants for approved waste disposal sites such as in the Gbarain axis to avert health disasters such as typhoid, cholera and other water borne diseases.
Chief Morris stressed that the best way to tackle the menace of flooding and other environmental issues plaguing the State was for all actors from government to interventionist agencies and the organized private sector to synergize and work towards a common objective.
Chairman of the State Environmental Sanitation Board, Chief Timothy Diekivie-Itiedu said the agency was committed to the cleanliness of Yenagoa and other parts of the State.
He said already over 21 drainages had been cleared to allow for free passage of water and mitigate the anticipated flooding to complement the efforts of the Flood and Erosion Directorate set up by Governor Douye Diri.
Chief Diekivie-Itiedu however frowned at the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on drainages and some residents building on natural water channels, warning that such illegal structures would be demolished.
The Chairman of the Bayelsa Environmental Sanitation Board called on residents to cooperate with government and refrain from using natural canals to link their sewages, stressing that the Sanitation Courts which sit thrice weekly will not hesitate to try offenders as over 200 violators had been convicted since he assumed duties.
Bayelsa Flooding: Stakeholders Push for Action on Environmental Issues
