The collapse of the three-storey building last week Wednesday in Umuahia, Abia State has been attributed to building defects and use of substandard materials.

This was the opinion of the Acting Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Environment, Mr. Tom Okoro, an engineer, when he visited the site yesterday while monitoring the monthly sanitation exercise.

Besides, he said the defective water borehole sunk there also affected the stability of the building and consequently doubted if there was government approval to sink the borehole.

Okoro advised those proposing to build to get authorisation from the appropriate government agencies, noting that government would soon embark on aggressive assessment of boreholes and sanitary lanes.

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Abia: ‘Collapsed building built with substandard materials’