A development expert, Mr Dada Ale, has urged the Ekiti State Government to enact legislation and establish stronger institutional measures to address the recurring flooding affecting communities across the state.

Ale, Coordinator of the Global Development Initiative, made the call following recent flooding in parts of Ado-Ekiti, which reportedly claimed three lives, displaced residents and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

He said the recurring nature of the flooding required a long-term approach rather than relying mainly on emergency responses after each incident.

Ale called on the Ekiti State House of Assembly to consider a Flood Resilience and Urban Planning Enforcement Law to make key flood-prevention measures mandatory.

He proposed annual dredging of major waterways, including the Ureje and Elemi rivers, as well as the creation and enforcement of no-build zones along waterways.

He also called for sanctions against developers who construct buildings without adequate drainage arrangements or in areas identified as vulnerable to flooding.

According to him, blocked drainage channels, inadequate dredging, indiscriminate disposal of refuse and construction around waterways could worsen the effects of heavy rainfall.

Ale said the state should also establish an autonomous flood-control agency with the technical capacity and institutional mandate to coordinate flood prevention and management.

He urged the government to assemble experts from tertiary institutions and relevant professional sectors to develop a comprehensive and financially viable flood-control programme.

The expert further called for the state to seek technical and financial assistance from development partners, including the World Bank, to implement major flood-control infrastructure.

He cited the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project as an example of how development-partner support could complement government efforts to address urban flooding.

Ale said Ekiti's flood-prone areas and major waterways were already known, making it possible for authorities to develop preventive measures rather than repeatedly responding after disasters occur.

The Ekiti State Government has said it spent more than N1.18 billion between 2023 and 2026 on flood-control interventions, including dredging waterways, desilting drainage channels and removing blockages.

Ale maintained that such interventions needed to be supported by enforceable laws, effective urban planning and sustained monitoring to ensure that flood-control measures continued beyond individual administrations.