Seaweed invasion: Lagos boat operators, fishermen, lament losses

Boat operators and fishermen in the Ijede area of Ikorodu and Tarzan in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State have lamented the losses they are incurring as a result of the invasion of the water by seaweed or hyacinth.

According to them, the seaweed has taken over the lagoon, adding that the greatest threat posed by the seaweed had been the damage to the propellers, impellers and gearboxes of their boats.

Apart from the threat to the engines, the fishermen say whenever the seaweed takes over the lagoon; they are unable to go out fishing for fear of losing their nets to the plants.

An outboard engineer and boat operator, Mr Rasheed Fashina, said the seaweed had caused many of the outboard engines to get damaged, noting that when the engines get entangled with the plants, they stop pumping water.

He stated that no matter how skilful an operator is in dodging the seaweed, he would only succeed in incurring more costs as the travelling time would be longer.

Fashina stated, “Seaweed is our major problem on this route. Sometimes, the plants are so thick that one will not be able to manoeuvre one’s way but to sail through them. They cause much damage to the propeller, impeller and gearbox.

“In the case of damage to the impeller, if the operator/helmsman does not notice on time that it has stopped pumping water, it will result in flooding, which usually leads to the outboard engine getting damaged.

“The seaweed invasion started about two months ago. This is what we have been facing since that time. The plants can only be exterminated when salt water from the Atlantic Ocean starts flowing into the lagoon.

“About three years ago, the Lagos State Waterways Authority deployed some boats that used to shred the seaweed. But, now, they are saying that the boats are no longer functioning. The least price for each of these outboard engines is N3.5m.”

A fisherman, Andrew Emmanuel, said since the seaweed took over the water, he and his colleagues had stopped going out to fish.

According to him, when the nets are let down, the fishes that are supposed to be caught will not be able to enter the nets as the seaweed and planks get stuck in the nets.

He said, “When the seaweed season is around, we hardly go out fishing. We don’t usually catch any fish when we let down our nets. The seaweed gets entangled in the nets as well as the planks underneath them.

“We normally return home with torn nets as we struggle to free the nets from the elements. This is our trying time; this is when we need the government. We cannot have bad roads and also bad water, otherwise many Nigerians will starve to death.”

The Acting General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority, Mr Oluwadaramola Emmanuel, said the machine procured by the government for clearing the seaweed could not ameliorate the boat operators or fishermen’s challenges, adding that the machine was currently having problems.

He explained that this year was one of the worst for the state with regards to the hyacinth invasion.

Emmanuel said the issue required every stakeholder to join hands with the government to stop the invasion of the Lagos waterways by seaweed.

He stated, “We have a difficult situation. There is a water hyacinth machine that the government bought but that machine cannot obviously ameliorate the plight of the boat operators and fishermen. The government has done its best. Ikorodu is one of the areas where we have many passengers moving on water.

“So, the machine has been facing challenges this year, but we still have to manage it as best as we can to see how it can be used to clear the weed on our waterways. Water hyacinth is a problem for all stakeholders; it is something that requires all stakeholders to come together and partner government to ameliorate the situation.

“This year’s situation is really bad because we have never had it this bad on our waterways. And once the hyacinth comes, there is nothing much we can do to halt its spread. So, inasmuch as we understand the plight of everyone, we just have to keep finding means to manage the situation. Hopefully, we will plan for it before it comes again next year.”