Lagos govt raises alarm over looming environmental collapse of lagoon

Lagos State Government has issued a grave warning about the deteriorating state of the Lagos Lagoon, saying the situation signalled an impending environmental and social catastrophe unless urgent action was taken.

The State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Hon. Yacoob Dayo Alebiosu, gave this warning on Thursday at a press conference, which took place at the Bagauda Kalto Press Center, Alausa, Ikeja, ahead of the Lagos Waterfront Summit.

This was just as he outlined a series of escalating threats to the lagoon’s ecosystem, ranging from industrial pollution and illegal fishing to climate change-induced sea level rise and coastal erosion.

The summit, themed: “Pressure on the Lagoon: The Lagos Experience,” aims to spotlight the challenges facing Lagos’ waterfronts while charting a path for sustainable development, is scheduled to hold on September 11 at the Eko Hotel and Suites. 

“The Lagos Lagoon is under intense pressure from both human-driven and climate-related factors. Without urgent and coordinated intervention, this vital ecosystem and the communities it supports may be lost forever,” Alebiosu warned.

The commissioner expressed concern that the lagoon had become one of Africa’s most polluted ecosystems, with over 10,000 cubic metres of industrial waste discharged into it daily, sadly noting that these effluents, originating largely from oil, textile, and manufacturing sectors, contained hazardous heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and nickel. 

Besides, Alebiosu said domestic sewage and agricultural runoff also continue to dump toxic organic compounds into the lagoon, further endangering aquatic life and public health, even as he equally highlighted the impact of over exploitation of aquatic species, particularly through illegal fishing practices.

According to him, these unwholesome practices have caused a drastic decline in fish populations, saying such had threatened the lagoon’s biodiversity and undermined the livelihoods of local fishing communities.

Speaking further, Alebiosu stated that activities such as sand mining, dredging, and unregulated land reclamation had also significantly altered the lagoon’s natural terrain, leading to large-scale habitat loss.

He expressed concern over Lagos’ rapid urban development, saying that such development had continued to encroach on vital wetland areas natural flood buffers that support both human and ecological resilience.

The commissioner warned that construction in sensitive wetland zones is a direct invitation to increasing the city’s vulnerability to urban flooding, adding: “Every wetland lost is a flood risk gained.” 

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE