The Lagos State Government (LASG) has reiterated its commitment to protecting its coastline and building a safer and resilient friendly environment for future generations.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said this at the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France.
“Lagos as a coastal state, faces severe climate risks from rising sea levels, extreme rainfall, and excessive heat. But we are not sitting back. We are building resilient infrastructure.
“So, as a state, we must face our realities and those realities are that we must build resilient infrastructure which is key and we must also take ownership of those infrastructure which is very key,” he said.
Wahab said the state in the past two years had invested in its drainage systems to reduce the possibilities of flash flooding.
“At the last count, in the past two years, we have as an administration done about 76 kilometres of trapezoidal drainage system statewide,” he said.
Wahab noted that the state, with over 13,000 tonnes of daily waste generation, was moving from a linear disposal system to a circular model where waste becomes a resource for energy and recovery.
He stated that the state was transforming the way it managed plastic waste.
“This is by religiously following a trajectory that had already banned the use of styrofoam food containers and moving on to effect the enforcement of its ban on single use plastics from July 1 after 18 months moratorium to users and producers.
“In the last two years, we have chosen to categorise waste as a resource.
“So, we have transitioned from a pick and dump system to a more sustainable climate friendly system where waste is now a resource for wealth and a resource for energy,” Wahab stressed.
By Olaitan Idris