The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has warned that illegal dredging of sand in Lagos is fuelling boat mishaps for ferry operators. This is even as the Authority stated that henceforth, no sand dredgers will be allowed to operate without a permit from NIWA.
Speaking in Lagos recently during a stakeholders meeting, the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Sarat Braimah, stated that the Authority will soon be working with the Dredgers Association of Nigeria to fish out illegal sand dredgers in Lagos.
According to Sarat Braimah, “From January ending, any sand dredger that does not have the NIWA permit won’t be allowed to dredge in Lagos. The era when people start dredging without a permit from NIWA is over.
“Aside dredging illegally, the activities of these sand dredgers are causing boat mishaps on our waterways. If you go to Ibeshe and Langbasa, you will see pipes abandoned by these illegal sand dredgers floating on water. These pipes cause boat mishaps for ferry operators and in most cases, lead to loss of lives and properties. It is time every sand dredger got a NIWA permit or forgot about dredging in Lagos.
“We will also like to urge all sand dredgers to go and join the Dredgers Association of Nigeria, because we want to know the dredgers and identify them. In the coming days, we will be working more with the association to expose illegal sand dredgers in Lagos.
“We will also like to urge all sand dredgers to maintain the access roads leading to the communities where they perform dredging activities. This can form a sort of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the dredgers. It’s a way to give back to the community where you are dredging sand from. If you go to many of these Ilaje communities where sand dredging activities is happening, their access roads are an eyesore. This should not be.
“Also, the issue of flooding due to dredging activities in some parts of Lagos is disturbing. Dredging is supposed to reduce flooding, not increase flooding, but how do you explain to a layman that dredging is supposed to eradicate flooding when the sand dredgers themselves are not doing it right.
“As an engineer, I know that dredging is supposed to reduce or eradicate flooding, but when you go to Majidun area of Ikorodu, everywhere is flooded, and the people there are pointing accusing fingers at the sand dredgers.
“From our investigation, we have found out that many of the drainage system in these areas where the sand dredgers dredge are blocked. The sand dredgers just go into these communities and start dredging without first ensuring that all the drainage systems are in good condition. So, whenever it rains, the whole place now becomes flooded, and people start pointing fingers at the sand dredgers.
“This ought not to be so if the sand dredgers are doing their jobs right. Before commencing any dredging activity in any area, ensure the drainage system of the community is through to avoid flooding. In Ikorodu, schools have had to close down because of the menace of flooding. Let’s do things right by giving back to the community where we are dredging from.”
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