Clearing mysterious Ogun River weeds to take Months

weed clearing bulldozer develops fault  four days after work started

It will take more than two Months to clear the thick water weeds that covered a section of the Ogun River on the Kara cattle market, Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

Decomposing piles of weeds on Ogun River

Workers involved in clearing the weeds described as mysterious by residents, said the weeds extended many meters towards the death, more than their expectations.

A visit to the Kara cattle market, end of the Ogun River, which has been under thick water weeds for more than two weeks now, four young men dressed for work were seen idle ,sitting on the weed clearing bulldozer.

It was 10 o’clock on a Monday Morning.

The men, who said they were contract workers involved in clearing the water weeds, stated that they were idle because their bulldozer which began work about four days ago developed a fault and that the engineer in charge went to buy materials for repairing the equipment.

One of them simply known as Goodluck from Cross River State, said it was early to ascertain when the work would be completed, stating that it would definitely take Months because of the thickness of the weeds.

Another worker, Terry who hails from Bayelsa State also believed that the work would take longer period to complete.

Terry said he was still in shock how water was able to transport such thick piles of weeds and deposited them under the bridge, at kara cattle market.

In recent times , people in different parts of the world have been confronted by strange environmental challenges.

Lagos and Rivers State residents feel the sudden weed invasion of Ogun River is one of the strange occurrences.

 They wondered how a river of about 300 meters in diameter , that served as means of transportation, could suddenly be covered by a field of weeds, thick enough that  some boys were playing football on it, while others rode motor cycles across it.

Terry confirmed the concerns of residents.

Discarded items waged by thick weeds

The weed invasion of Ogun River has revealed the environmentally unfriendly attitude of Lagos and ogun residents, as the weed waged large collections of discarded items, especially empty water bottles and takes away plates.

Waste collectors were seen walking on the field of water weeds and picking discarded empty water bottles.

One of them had gathered three big bags of the waste materials, before Radio Nigeria left the scene at noon.

Efforts to speak with the engineer in charge of the work proved abortive, as he did not return from the market in time.

A banner of the Ogun State Ministry of the Environment was seen displayed at the project site.

Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Bolaji Oyeleye had cleared the air on the weed inversion, saying what actually happened was that strong water currents from a dam that was opened to release excess water, washed down the huge pile of weed and deposited it there.

Mr. Bolaji Oyeleye, has also advised people who have turned the Kara river scene to a tourist centre to desist from doing so, because dangerous animals capable of harming people could be hiding under the weeds.

From Lagos Innocent Onoh