PROPERTY NEWS

A GRIM picture of the impacts of sand mining/dredging on the coastal areas of Lagos was painted last week at a workshop organised by the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), in collaboration with a private firm, Multiple Development Services.

The workshop, which examined "Sand Mining and Environmental Management," had in attendance speakers from private, public and academic sectors, as well as representatives of the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), the Lagos Ministry of Agriculture, private consultancy firms and sand miners.

But smarting from the bash they received at the stakeholders meeting, the association of sand dealers has defended the activities of its members as being salutary on the state's quest to meet the housing needs of the residents.

The association, under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Sand Miners, Ikorodu Chapter, dissociated themselves from illegal activities, stressing that their operations are conducted in line with government regulations and guidelines.

Speaking on "Physical Environment of Lagos State and Environmental Consequences of Sand Mining/Dredging," Dr. (Mrs.) Regina Folorunsho, of the NIOMR, highlighted the vulnerability of Lagos to heavy flooding, erosion, and possible total submergence of a sizeable portion of the city if the un-coordinated rate of dredging and sand mining goes unchecked.

According to Folorunsho, such un-coordinated activities by miners and dredgers are capable of causing great depths in the Seabed, as reflected in the Banana Island to Third Mainland Bridge axis.

She noted that almost six metres depth was noticed in some of the areas where the institute carried out the research.

"The indiscriminate dredging is informed by the quality of sand which nature deposited in the area, but that notwithstanding, there should be a sustained regulatory method to save the coastal area from total destruction."

Tracing the problem to the construction of West-East Mole many years ago to allow passage of ships into the Port. This, coupled with the ongoing dredging and mining activities had succeeded in blocking the flow of sands to the ocean.

Folorunsho listed the current effects of these activities to include land loss, threats to buildings/ infrastructure "and loss of habitat as reflected in the Bar Beach, where once flourished mass of coconut trees have virtually in extinct".

"To ward off the imminent danger which the situation poses and to save the general Lagos environment, we need to embrace an integrated coastal management plan, by which the activities of the dredgers would be monitored, environmental impact analysis would be strictly adhered to, and legislation fully enforced."

Similarly, Dr. Abiodun Afolabi Tajudeen, of the state's Ministry of Agriculture, said that beyond causing problems to the Lagoon and the Ocean, the dredgers and miners have also destroyed the forest, in their quest to excavate sand in many parts of the state.

Afolabi, who said his team had made a preliminary report to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, said places like Topo, Ajido, Ikeja and Ikorodu, had lost their wetland to the dredgers. "Besides, the mangroves, the forest and other natural habitats have all being destroyed as a result of the dredgers' activities. They have succeeded in destroying the bio-diversity and the ecosystems," he said.

Afolabi noted that the trend, if not checked, is capable of causing food shortages and other negative consequences.

Presenting the scorecard of his department as a regulatory body, Mr. Kehinde Olatunji, who represented the Office of the Special Adviser on Mineral Resources Development, said the department "is on top of the situation."

According to him, sanity is prevailing in sand mining/dredging sector, through what he called "sustainable sand mining through process design and modification." While the office believes that sand mining is not only imperative, but also mandatory for physical development activities, it noted that the indispensable needs for good quality sand raises the need to ensure sustainable development.

The Office of Mineral Resources has responsibility for overseeing surface mining, quarry and mountain top methods, while embarking on some mitigating measures.

These include pre-mining measures like the permissible extent of excavation, while post-mining measures include conversion of the opened ground into other useful activities.

The general manager of LASEPA, Mr. Adebola Shabi, an engineer, emphasised the need to continuously engage in interactions with the miners.

Shabi also recognised the need for collective responsibility in protecting Lagos environment.

"Considering the interaction between Lagos State and sand diggers in the last five years, it is pertinent that fora like this should be organised such that ideas would be passed across to people in this sector of the economy on how to carry on their business in a manner that our fragile ecosystem/environment would be better protected and not degraded".

The facilitator of the workshop, Multiple Development Services Managing Director, Mr. Eugene Itua, said the objective of the workshop was to assist stakeholders to appreciate the delicate nature of the environment, be familiar with regulatory and compliance requirements for sand mining, identify environmental risks and opportunities involved in sand mining and mutual development of a framework that would ensure sustainable mining methods.

However, speaking exclusively with The Guardian at the weekend, the chairman of the Nigerian Association of Sand Miners, Ikorodu Chapter, Alhaji Salisu Adedola Adebayo, said their operations are complimentary to activities in the building and construction sector.

According to Adebayo, the group's commitment to providing services to other members in the built environment harbours no criminal tendencies. "What we expect from government and other relevant stakeholders is how they would assist us in any way possible that we would continue to operate our business in a way that would not pose threats to either the environment, or constituting nuisance to the builders."

Adebayo said the major goal of the association, apart from profit making, is to continue to supply quality materials to the public at relatively low prices.

However, he listed their constraints to include the persistent demand for money from traditional land owners known as Omo oniles, inconsistencies in government policies, high cost of production, lack of access road to the site and sometime, the need to cope with bad terrain, and cost of transportation.

To achieve the goals of quality service delivery, the association is of the view that banks and other financial institutions should come to their aid by providing them with loans to purchase some of the expensive equipment they use, such as pay loaders, graders and tipper lorries, among others.

Secretary of the association, Solomon Pitan, said banks are not favourably disposed to their requests. "They have this perception that we are ordinary akoyepe, (sand carriers), whereas, we have the wherewithal to repay any amount of loan granted to us."

They also proposed to the state government to make available to them leasing facilities like that adopted for the Bus Rapid Transist (BRT) scheme, under which they would acquire tipper lorries to enable them operate effectively.

On the post mining effort in any site, the association in Eti-Osa said they are ready comply with whatever government considered necessary for the healthy activity in mining industry.

At Ajah, an executive member of the association, Tajudeen Aremu, told The Guardian that apart from government policy and request for assistance, regular training and workshops are necessary, so that miners would operate within the ambit of state laws and regulations.

Aremu also said that cost of transportation usually informed constant changes in price of sands.

While admitting that unregulated mining can cause environmental degradation, the group acknowledged that measures could be taken to avoid unpleasant consequences on the environment.

These include regular monitoring by the appointed relevant government agencies, transparency in approval of mining sites, control over Omooniles, who are fond of allocating already dug sites to another operators and, ensuring total compliance to the set rules and regulations.