Residents of Egbiri community in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, on Saturday appealed to the state government to urgently address the problem of perennial flooding in the area.

Mr Olu Omoshaye, a community leader in the area, made the appeal on behalf of the residents when the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, visited the area during the monthly environmental sanitation.

He said the neglect of Egbiri by successive governments had led to serious developmental challenges which had made life difficult for residents, adding that the few projects in the area were done through self help.

The community leader noted that residents were always jittery during the rainy season as many had been sacked from their homes by flood from an overflowing river in the community.

“The whole of this area is not passable during the rainy season as it is completely taken over by massive floods and we have lost a good number of lives, including those of school children, to the floods.

“We can`t afford all of these anymore and we want the government to build a good drainage system and a bulk bridge across the river to enable residents move safely during the rains,“ he said.

The community leader, however, commended the state government for the provision of health care facilities in the area, which, he said, had helped to improve access to healthcare.

He also commended government‘s efforts at strengthening security in the area, saying that the various security initiatives had reduced cases of armed robbery in the area.

Responding, the commissioner said that the problem of flooding in the community was mainly caused by the topography of the area as well as abuse of the environment by residents.

He assured that the state government would address the problem of flooding in the area and urged residents to safeguard the environment by refraining from acts that could cause environmental problems.

The commissioner also visited the Ojokoro Cattle Market where he lamented the poor sanitary condition of the market.

The commissioner warned that the state government would take stern measures if the traders failed to improve the sanitary condition of the market, especially the pervasive stench, within one month.