NIWA, Parts Central Launch Nationwide Inland Waterways Clean-Up In Lagos
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in partnership with Parts Central Limited, has launched a clean-up initiative aimed at improving the cleanliness, safety and navigability of Nigeria’s inland waterways.
The initiative was launched in Lagos on Tuesday as part of efforts to address the growing pollution of the nation’s waterways and promote sustainable use of the country’s blue economy.
Speaking at the launch, the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Engineer Sarat Braimah, urged dredgers, boat operators, tank farm owners and waterfront operators to stop practices that contribute to the pollution of waterways.
Braimah said maintaining clean waterways was essential to improving navigation, creating employment opportunities and strengthening economic activities linked to Nigeria’s water resources.
She noted that Lagos, where about one-third of the state is covered by water, was strategically important to the success of the initiative and would serve as a starting point for extending the programme to other parts of the country.
According to her, clean waterways would make navigation easier while creating opportunities for young people and supporting economic activities around the blue economy.
Braimah particularly criticised the indiscriminate disposal of domestic, industrial and plastic waste into waterways, warning that the practice was damaging aquatic life and threatening the sustainability of the inland water transport system.
She also called on waterfront owners to provide appropriate waste disposal facilities rather than relying on waterways to carry away their waste.
The NIWA official identified areas around Kirikiri as particularly affected by pollution from activities linked to tank farms, stressing the need for operators to adopt proper waste management practices.
She urged fishermen, boat operators, dredgers and other stakeholders to support Parts Central Limited and NIWA in ensuring that waste generated around the waterways was properly collected and disposed of.
Braimah also encouraged dredging operators to put measures in place to prevent contaminated water and other waste materials from being discharged directly into waterways.
On his part, the Managing Director of Parts Central Limited, Henry Olaoluwa Onifade, said the company would deploy various technologies and waste management facilities to support the clean-up programme.
He disclosed that refuse bins would be installed at jetties and on passenger boats across the inland waterways, while larger collection bins would be provided at jetties to receive waste from boats when they dock.
Onifade said the initiative would cover different waterfront locations and landing facilities, with the aim of ensuring that boats and other watercraft operating on Nigeria’s inland waterways had approved waste bins.
He said the programme would involve the deployment of different waste collection technologies to ensure that waste generated by water transport activities was properly captured and managed.
Stakeholders, including boat operators, dredgers and officials of the Lagos State Government, attended the launch.
The initiative is expected to strengthen efforts to curb indiscriminate waste disposal, protect aquatic ecosystems and promote cleaner and safer inland waterways across Nigeria.
