Rotary District 9110 (Lagos and Ogun States) has celebrated the 2022 International Day for Disaster Reduction with a sensitisation of traders in Holloway Market, Oke-Arin, Lagos Island.
Representative of the Lagos Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mrs. Toyin Oguntola, who spoke on the ‘causes and preventive measures of flooding’, identified environmental infractions, water pollution, waste in drainage channels and fire outbreak, as some causes of flooding.
She, however, urged the people to adhere to preventive measures, such as, proper waste disposal, reduction in water pollution and a change in social and behavioral mindset, so a cleaner Lagos devoid of flooding and other environmental disasters can be achieved.
Rotary District Governor Omotunde Lawson noted that the event formed part of the club’s focal points in the area of environmental sustainability.
She said: “Rotary Club is all about service to humanity. We take up projects like building schools, roads, providing social amenities like clean water, and even teach businessmen and women how to be better at their jobs.
“So we are here because we care about the wellbeing of traders, and so we decided to initiate this campaign. It should be worthy of note that the International Day for Disaster Reduction is a globally-celebrated event and not peculiar to just us here in Nigeria. So it will be good that we all adhere to the preventive measures that were discussed in the lecture.
“The environment is ours to care for so we can enjoy it, and it is even said that prevention is better than cure.”
The Iyaloja of Holloway Market, Rotn Abosede Ogundele, said the sensitisation was to orientate the traders about preventive measures to take against natural and human disasters. “Seeing that Lagos is surrounded by water, it is therefore necessary to prevent flooding in order to avoid bad news heard from other parts of the country. Most of you heard the about the flooding in Anambra, Kogi, Plateau, Adamawa states and others. But we do not want such occurrences here in Lagos and so we have brought this programme to educate ourselves.
“Lagos is surrounded by water and we do not want in our shops to cause mayhem to our properties; that is the reason for this campaign. May tragedy never befall our people.”