Tank farm owners deny polluting Lagos waterways

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Tank farm owners have denied allegations by the Lagos Area Office of the National Inland Waterways Authority of polluting the state’s waterways.

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Recently, at the unveiling of Parts Central Limited as a partner in a new NIWA-led waterways cleanup initiative in Lagos, the agency’s Lagos Area Manager, Sarat Braimah, identified tank farms, ship ballast discharge and waste from waterfront communities as major contributors to pollution and the degradation of aquatic life in the state’s waterways.

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Braimah also raised concerns about the absence of soak-away systems in many waterfront properties, noting that some residents discharged their waste directly into the waterways. She said NIWA was committed to ending the practice.

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However, she identified tank farm operators in the Kirikiri area as major contributors to the pollution of Lagos waterways, noting that some sections around the axis had become visibly blackened by industrial waste discharge, unlike the naturally blue waters in other parts of the state.

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“Waterfront owners, they do not even see reasons to have a soakaway. They believe our water should take it away. We want it to stop. Our tank farm owners, if you are going to Kirikiri from Mile 2, you will see that it is the dirtiest water in Lagos and you will ask me why. Because most of these tank farms discharge their waste directly into our water. You will see that the water on that side is black while normally water is supposed to be blue,” she said.

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She described the waterways cleanup initiative partnership with Parts Central Limited as central to unlocking the blue economy and curbing environmental degradation across the state’s inland waters.

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She added that dredging companies, resident houses, and boat operators and users would be carried along through dedicated committees under the programme.

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Braimah linked the cleanup drive directly to the blue economy agenda and job creation, stressing that a cleaner waterway system would ease navigation, generate youth employment, and reduce the social tensions that often accompany idle youth populations.

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According to her, the essence of the collaboration was to ensure that Nigeria’s inland waterways remain clean and safe for navigation.

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She called on fishermen, dredgers, waterfront developers, and companies to dispose of waste properly, noting that plastic waste, in particular, could be recycled for economic value.

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Meanwhile, a tank farm owner said, “My point is that I have no comment; I have nothing to say. There is nothing to comment on; she is trying to help the system. For every tank farm owner, they all have proper professional waste disposal protocols in place. I can tell you that tank farm owners have proper waste disposal protocols in place for every type of waste at any of their tank farms.”

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