Residents of coastal communities in Ondo State have described the building up of water hyacinth as a major challenge confronting the people of the area, particularly during the rainy season. I gathered from residents that communities currently facing these challenges include: Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Okitipupa, and Irele local government areas of Ondo State.
Residents confirmed that movement of boats and canoes is a difficult exercise for travelers, and rural farming and fishing folks have been having difficulty with water hyacinths in waterways.
A resident of the area, Omo’ba Adeola Akingbohun, told me that the floating hyacinth annually blocks and locks up the water channels, not allowing residents to move freely from one community to the other adding that seafarers in above mentioned communities find it difficult.
“There are a lot of challenges brought on by the hyacinth, ranging from difficulties in transiting on waterways and recurrent ecological disasters that often lead to ocean surges in some of the riverine communities, rendering many homeless and displaced annually.
“We have been speaking out about the issue of Ayetoro community. If you visit Ayetoro now, the community is gradually going into extinction. The ocean surge in the community is very pronounced to the extent that some residents of the area have started moving out of the community to other communities and have no place to stay.”
A speedboat operator, ferrying people between Ugbonla and Ayetoro, Mr. Ayenuro Damilola, told me that the menace of hyacinth is affecting the transportation system in the area. Narrating his ordeal, Ayenuro said, “I ran into a heap of hyacinth not knowing there was a dangerous wood underneath. My propeller hit the wood and got spoilt. I spent a lot of money to repair the propeller, eating deep into my profit.
“Because of the blockage of the waterways by water hyacinth, traveling has become a nightmare.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the commissioner for Environment, Mr. Sunday Akinwalere, proved abortive as his phone number was not reachable at the time of this report.
But the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, while hosting Nigerian Maritime and Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA), had recently called for effective action to be taken to free waterways of water hyacinth, which he said is impeding the development of water transport as a major alternative mode of travel in Nigeria.
According to him, “When water hyacinth is properly harvested, it could be used for something else, even for biogas,” he said, urging that it was time for a proper department for maritime studies in any of the state’s higher institutions.
However, I also gathered that the previous administration made some effort by inaugurating a Vanguard to address issues around difficulties commuting on waterways, engaging about 300 workers drafted from Ese-Odo and Ilaje council areas by Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
It was learned that these efforts yielded no results as those employed then, were not enough to carry out the business of clearing the waterways.
