Nigeria: Lagos’ risky sand dredging drives rapid development
Fishermen affected by the sand dredging in Lagos waters near Makoko (via Dialogue Earth)
In the city of Lagos, Nigeria, large-scale sand dredging is done to supply sand for construction as the city booms in building roads, bridges, and housing properties, risks of environmental damage and loss of livelihood for fishermen, reported AP news on January 12th.
The Lagoon in Lagos has sand, which is crucial for making concrete used in construction. With development in Lagos accelerating, the demand for sand has increased and so have the prices. A 30-ton truckload of sand now costs 290,000 naira ($202).
The past five years have brought many registered and unregistered dredging operators who are increasingly extracting sand from across rivers and coastal waters in Lagos. Analysts estimate that the city consumes sand the equivalent of 16,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools a year, adding up to tens of millions of cubic meters.
This extraction has changed the ecosystem of the waters, with sandy patches, reshaping currents, and narrowing channels. Fishermen say that the dredging has moved fish away from the shallow waters, sometimes even being sucked in through the dredging pipes. This has affected their livelihoods, putting many out of work.
A fisherman, Joshua Monday, says that the costs of fuel also make fishing trips expensive, often having to come back with no fish. Along with dredging, developers and projects by influential people take land around the lagoon, pushing fishermen further away from their livelihoods.
On the other hand, sand dredgers say that dredging gives them a livelihood in a city with limited opportunities. Akeem Sossu, a local dredger, says that he and his partner earn about 12,000 naira ($8) each per boatload of sand, and it takes three hours to fill one boat. Akeem, who was previously a tailor by profession, said that dredging now finances his household.
The environmental damage of dredging was documented by researchers in unstable seabeds and erosion-prone areas under the dredging sites. This makes the region more prone to flooding, as lagoons are natural stoppers to floodwater. It also disrupts the ecological system of the water body, interfering with marine life’s reproduction and migration.
Although the government claims to have taken action in shutting down illegal dredging operators, community leaders say that the enforcements are inconsistent, some even accusing the state of prioritising private development over the livelihoods of the common man.
AP, Maghrebi.org
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