The Lagos State Government on Sunday appealed to residents to stop dumping refuse into drains, which was reducing the life span of road infrastructure across the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye said this while inspecting urgent palliative works being carried out by the Lagos State Public Works Corporation on Mile 2 section of Lagos – Badagry Expressway.
Adeyoye said the inspection was part of efforts to promote sustainability of roads,
“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 motorable for commuters plying the route,” she said.
A statement by Mr Shina Odunuga, spokesman of the ministry, said Adeyoye visited the site in company with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Drainage, Mr Joe Igbokwe, and called for attitudinal change by residents.
She lamented the huge volume of refuse removed during the palliative works from the drains along the Mile 2 section and its attendant impact on the dilapidated state of the road.
According to the Special Adviser, a road is as good as its drains as dumping refuse inside drains compromises 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.
Adeyoye sought the support of residents to curb wastage from continuous funding of roads rehabilitation only for them to degenerate after a short time.
The special adviser stressed the need for the repair works to be allowed to last, to prevent a situation where the state would start grappling with bad roads again after the rainy season.
“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.
” By changing our habits, our roads will last longer, and 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 drains are choked and the cross culverts are blocked, the asphalt surface will become water logged thereby accelerating the rate of dilapidation of the roads,” she said.
Adeyoye advised residents to take ownership of the road infrastructure and keep faith with the governor on implementation of the THEMES Agenda.
