Flood disaster has become a perennial incident in Ilorin, which continues to claim the lives of residents of the Kwara state capital. Just after the third rainfall, the residents of the ancient city woke up on April 10 to a sad news that the heavy downpour in the previous night had claimed the lives of four people.

Eyewitness account show that the victims are a commercial driver, who wished to pass the night in his bus when he arrived from Abuja late, two were siblings of the same parents, aged three and five, who came to spend a vacation with their grandmother at Offa Garage area, while another corpse was reportedly discovered in a drainage at Coca-cola road.

The two kids were said to have drown when high volume of water snaked into their apartment on that fateful night. The flood also reportedly swept and damaged about 24 vehicles, while other property worth millions of naira was said to have been lost to the disaster. This, the residents explain was not the first time that flood would wreak havoc on lives and property of the people of the city as it now becomes an annual disaster.

A similar incident happened in 2013 where a 10 year old girl was swept away by flood in Tanke area of the city when she was sent to dispose refuse inside water channel among other numerous experience in the previous years.

Meanwhile, records have shown that the perennial flood in Ilorin is often caused by human factor rather than natural cause. This has been as a result of blockage of waterways either as a result of indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the drainages or erection of structures on the waterways.

An environmentalist, Mr Biodun Akanbi, who blamed most flood disasters in the state on human factors, especially non-adherence to environmental guidelines, advocated for a better approach to tackle the preventable disaster.

He described as barbaric, an habit of dumping refuse on the waterways during the rainfall, as well as erecting structures on water channels and banks of river. While the expert admonishes the state government to intensify its public awareness programme on flood disaster, he also sought for strict enforcement of environmental law and order.

According to him, government should invoke appropriate sanctions on whoever found wanting as regard to environmental rules and regulation in the state. This, I think will reduce to minimal the loss to flood disaster every year in the state.

"Government has to approach this incidence with reality at hand. A carrot and stick approach should be adopted in curbing it.

"There are some people that would not obey order, no matter the level of awareness. In that case, appropriate sanction needs to be applied", he said.

He however sought for an attitudinal change among the residents of the city to avert further loss of lives and property to a disaster that is unfortunate incidence. Akanbi further stresses the need for government to embark on town planning control that would prevent environmental degradation and all forms of flood related losses.

"Government should engage in strategic intervention in terms of infrastructure development and rehabilitation that would prevent further distortion of Ilorin masterplan", Akanbi added.

He also warned against erection of buildings on the water ways and said that government was determined to enforce its environmental law.

In his own, Dr Abdulrasaq Amuda, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment said that the state government had approved the constitution of a committee to check indiscriminate dumping of refuse within Ilorin metropolis.

The Permanent Secretary decried the attitude of some residents who engage in indiscriminate dumping of refuse, blaming it for the perennial flood disaster in the state capital.

The government official said that five compactors were recently distributed to the approved Waste Management Consultants to ensure a clean and healthy environment.