NATIONAL Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has called on the Oyo State government to take steps in demolishing the over 26,000 structures on flood plains in the state, to allow for free flow of water.

The Director-General of the agency, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, who made the call at a flood prevention and mitigation workshop organised by the agency in Ibadan, on Thursday, said the perennial flooding in the state capital could only be stopped when all risk factors aiding the disaster were removed.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by the South-West assistant coordinator, Babatunde Adebiyi, Sani-Sidi said the obstruction of natural paths of rain water was a cause of flooding in the metropolis.

“Though the state government is taking steps to reconstruct and rehabilitate canals, extend drains and bridges, building people’s resilience against identifiable disaster risks is the best legacy that a leader can bequeath to his people.

“Resilient people can conveniently tackle poverty that forces them to look for cheaper land at flood plains,” he said.

According to him, the risks of losses during disasters could be eliminated with flourishing economic and social development.

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