PROPERTY TRANSACTION GUIDE

Lekki Beach: Environmentalist raises the alarm over erosion
By Samson Echenim

Punch, Monday 19th July 2010

A foremost environmentalist, Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi, has raised concern over ongoing erosion at the Lekki Beach, caused by an abandoned ship.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Friday, Majekodunmi said the rate at which the erosion was breaching the Lekki coastline was the "most rapid erosion we have ever experienced," adding that if allowed to continue, it would have flushed the very first building in 10 months’ time.

He said, "The implication is that in about 10 months, this erosion would have reached the first building. Apart from the structures, there is an offshore wetland that runs parallel to the beach. So, you have the beach, the wetland, the expressway and all the buildings.

"In some places, which are being impacted by this erosion, it is only about 50 to 70 metres wide. This means that in about four more months, the erosion could actually have breached the coastal line, right into the wetland and when it reaches there, we are talking of a major environmental disaster impacting on all the sand filling, particularly the Lekki-Epe Expressway and it will cost literally billions of naira to address it."

The abandoned ship, named MT Ray, was wrecked on the Lekki Beach in February and had sunk deeply into the sea. The rate of erosion has been approximated at 10 to 15 metres per month, according to Majekodunmi.

"At this rate, it could have reached the nearby Jakande Estate by the first quarter of next year. Implications of this perennially flooded estate, its environs and the nearby expressway, are absolutely horrendous. About 50 to 70 metres have been lost already in some areas," he said.

Coconut trees are being brushed down by the erosion daily, raising fear that with all the nearby trees off, the erosion would have unhindered impact on the soft sand.

A source from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the body in charge of the excavation and removal of wrecks, said the cost of removing MT Ray was more than NIMASA could bear.

The source, who asked not to be named said NIMASA was exploring the option of using the Ecological Fund.

But Makodunmi noted that the wait for the Ecological Fund might take eternity, as access to the fund had been impossible for a long time.

He, therefore, appealed to the Lagos State Government and private organisations to come in and jointly arrest the situation.

Near the site of the erosion are the Silverbird Television premises, which stands at only 250 metres away from the relentlessly approaching seashore; Jakande Estate, 300 metres away; and the Lagos-Epe Expressway, which is about 500 metres away.

Majekodunmi said the coconut trees, which also served as natural control around the sea, were also at risk. He noted that once lost, it would take a long time to recover them.

He said, "Most of the developments in Lekki were built on reclaimed lands that did not incorporate effective drainage infrastructure. As such, this area is particularly vulnerable to flooding from even moderate rainfall. Allowing the ocean unhindered access, through an eroded beach front to this mangrove swamp, would be a recipe for disaster.

"A characteristic of this type of erosion is that it occurs not only at the point of contact, that is where the wreck ship is located, but for several kilometres along the coast. Already, erosion has been noted at Alfa Beach and in front of the new multimillion-dollar Chevron Estate, Twin Lakes."