Business
Flooding: Imo To Demolish Buildings
The Imo State Government has concluded arrangements to embark on massive demolition of buildings in the capital city, Owerri, as well as other areas that are threatened by flood and erosion menace.
The action, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ebere Uzoukwa, is part of the measures conceived by the state government to checkmate flood and further seek a lasting solution to some areas presently devastated by erosion.
The statement quoted Governor Rochas Okorocha as saying that the affected buildings would include those built in erosion prone areas, those not captured in the Owerri master plan as well as those erected without approval from the relevant government authorities.
He directed owners of the buildings pencilled down for demolition to proceed to the Ministry of
Lands and Housing with relevant documents, including building plan approvals, which authorised them to erect such buildings.
Explaining that the proposed action was not targeted at any individual, Okorocha said the state government was merely taking proactive measures in line with position of the Federal Ministry of Environment and its agencies, warning some states, including lmo, about impending heavy floods this year and the consequences.
The governor said his administration was concerned, sensitive and very conscious of the inherent danger and difficulties likely to befall the state and its people if stringent measures were not put in place to cope with the anticipated flooding ahead of time.
Okorocha lamented the activities of some people who erected buildings in greenbelt areas, disclosing that careful study on some erosion sites had proved that illegal structures were worsening the problems of erosion in the state.
While revealing that the demolition would take place in Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu with emphasis on Works Layout, Owerri, St. Joseph Mgbe and Umuopara in Orlu, the governor reiterated the determination of his administration to restore sanity to the capital city.
He, however, urged occupants of the buildings marked for demolition to relocate accordingly to enable the government carry out the task in the overall interest of the state.