In line with the Lagos’s vision for a safer water transportation system in the ongoing Multi-Modal Transportation arrangement to meet the transportation needs of of its over 22 million people, the state government has commenced a water ways cleanup campaign across its coastal regions.
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu represented by the Commissioner of Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, at the Launch of the campaign held at Five Cowries Terminal, Falomo Lagos, earlier today stated that government’s huge investments in water transportation would be a waste if a policy to ensure regular clean up and protection of the waterways was not formulated and enforced.
“Water Transportation no doubt, provides the best possible alternatives means of transportation and this administration would leave no stone unturned to ensure its total development”, Sanwo Olu is quoted in a release by the state’s Public Affairs Unit on Wednesday.
He disclosed that the first phase of the clean up initiative would cover 15km of city beach between Kuramo Waters, Victoria Island and Lekki Conservation Center, 15km between Ilubinrin in Lagos Island and Periwinkle Estate in Ikate and 4.8 drainage outfalls in the Lagos East Senatorial District.
The governor explained that problems caused by marine litters were multifaceted, attributing it to inappropriate solid waste disposal, intentional dumping of fishing gears, product designs that are not environmental friendly, adding that poor public understanding of potential consequences of the aforementioned has further contributed to the current state of pollution on the waterways.
Sanwo-Olu explained that the cleanup of the waterways is pertinent to protecting the economic and environmental interests of Lagosians resident in the Riverine communities whose livelihoods largely depend on what happens to the water bodies, stressing that continuous degradation of the waterways would sabotage the opportunities available for a state with great aquatic splendor like Lagos.
Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu urged relevant stakeholders in the Water Transportation Sector to support and ensure the success of the clean up exercise, reassuring that his administration would continue to support and fund initiatives geared towards shore line protection and efficient water transportation service delivery.
Earlier in his welcome address, General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority, Mr. Damilola Emmanuel, stated that the Waterways Clean-up Campaign was aimed at creating awareness on the inherent dangers of marine waste and to subsequently conduct a holistic research to determine the cause of the pollution.
While corroborating the governor on the need for urgent action on water ways clean up, the General Manager disclosed that the state government had set up the campaign to create a synergy with relevant stakeholders including Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) and Food And Beverages Recycling Alliance (FIBRA) to proffer a long lasting solution to the perennial issues affecting Lagos Aquatic resources.
At the Idumota Market Waterways Clean-Up Campaign, the market men and women promised to cooperate with the state government to ensure stoppage of refuse dump into the lagoon.
They however requested for collaborative efforts of security agents around the jetties and waterways in order to curb the dangerous act of dumping refuse into the lagoon.
