Lagos Govt removes dredging pipes obstructing waterways en route Ikorodu

The Lagos State Authorities has cleared dredging pipes that obstructed ferry motion and posed security dangers on the inland waterways resulting in Ikorodu.

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) confirmed the elimination in an announcement on Tuesday, reporting that the pipes, deserted by a dredging firm, had disrupted two passenger ferries, as reported by the Information Company of Nigeria (NAN).

The obstruction additionally precipitated injury to the ferries’ hulls.

“The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has eliminated a dangerously put in dredging pipe that posed a risk to ferry operators and waterway customers alongside the facility line en route Ikorodu axis,” the NAN report learn partially.

The assertion famous that LASWA’s Normal Supervisor, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, said that upon receiving reviews of the obstruction, the company’s patrol workforce promptly carried out an on-site inspection.

To mitigate the danger, they swiftly put in marker buoys to point a protected passage earlier than continuing with the elimination of the pipes.

“This effort underscores LASWA’s dedication to making sure security on Lagos’ inland waterways,” Emmanuel mentioned.

“The swift motion prevented what might have been a catastrophic incident.”

He urged dredging firms, boat operators, and different stakeholders to adjust to security rules to forestall related occurrences sooner or later.

What you need to know

The presence of dredging pipes on the inland waterways resulting in Ikorodu had been noticed throughout a number of ferry rides in December 2024, carried out to doc the influence of water hyacinth on Lagos waterways. At a specific level alongside the route, boats usually skilled slight bumps when crossing over partially submerged dredging pipes. Nevertheless, at no level throughout these observations did any vessel undergo hull injury, as reported within the latest incident.

• Past dredging pipes, water hyacinth stays a big problem for boat operators and commuters, significantly from September to the tip of the primary quarter of the next yr. When not promptly cleared, the invasive plant varieties dense mats that entangle propellers, decelerate boats, and make navigation extra strenuous for operators and passengers.
• For smaller vessels like banana boats, which carry as much as 17 passengers, the problem is even better. On one of many noticed journeys, a ship operator needed to halt mid-journey whereas the deckhand manually eliminated entangled vegetation from the propellers.

Forcing a ship by means of thick water hyacinth also can trigger extreme engine injury, significantly to its pistons—one in every of which prices about N150,000 to exchange. Operators be aware that piston failure usually results in extra mechanical points, considerably rising restore prices.