As part of efforts to promote sustainability of roads, the Lagos State Government has reiterated the need for residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainages as doing so will reduce the life span of the various road infrastructure provided across the State.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Aramide Adeyoye said this while inspecting urgent palliative works being carried out by Public Works Corporation on the Mile 2 section of Lagos – Badagry Expressway which has deteriorated.
According to the Special Adviser, “Though the rehabilitation and expansion work on the Lagos – Badagry Expressway is progressing as scheduled, it has become necessary to intervene and make the Mile 2 section of the road motor able for commuters plying the route”
Speaking against the backdrop of the volume of refuse removed during the palliative works from the drains along the Mile 2 section and the attendant impact on the dilapidated state of the road, Adeyoye who visited the site in the company of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Drainage, Mr Joe Igbokwe, called for attitudinal change by residents.
According to the Special Adviser, “A road is as good as its drains and dumping refuse inside drains does not only compromise the integrity of the asphaltic surface, it also undermines the durability of the roads especially now that the rains are here; without a functional drainage system, the roads provided cannot be sustained”, she said.
While enjoining residents to ensure that the cost and effort associated with providing, rehabilitating and maintaining roads is reduced to the barest minimum, the Special Adviser said there is need to ensure that when the rains are over, there would be no need to start grappling with bad roads.
“Now that a palliative is being provided, it is also important to address the root cause of the state of the roads by changing our habits”, the Special adviser enthused.
She said, “by changing our habits, our roads will last longer and by refraining from indiscriminate dumping of refuse into the drains will prevent flooding and the attendant bad roads.
“When drains are provided for roads they are not meant for solid waste disposal, rather they are pathways for water to run. When the drainages are choked and the cross culverts are blocked, the asphalt surface will become water logged thereby accelerating the rate of dilapidation of the roads”.
Adeyoye, while seeking the support and cooperation of Lagosians on the need to take ownership of provided road infrastructure, also urged residents to keep faith with the Governor on implementation of the THEMES Agenda.
Shina Odunuga
Director, Public Affairs
