Shifting Sands: The Cost of Lagos' Growing Dredging Industry

In Lagos, Nigeria, the booming dredging industry shifts the coastlines and affects local livelihoods. As sand supplies feed the city's construction frenzy, local fishermen find their waters disrupted, leading to economic challenges. While dredging supports some, its unregulated nature poses environmental and social concerns.

Underneath the bustling highways of Lagos, Nigeria, a silent toil transforms the city's coastlines. Men stand waist-deep in the Lagos Lagoon, pulling up buckets of sand that will be used to fuel the growing construction industry of Africa's largest city. However, this activity brings unexpected hardships for local fishermen.

Akeem Sossu, one of the many local dredgers, earns a living diving beneath the lagoon's surface to collect sand. While this work supports his family, fishermen like Joshua Monday face harsh realities, as their catch dwindles due to disturbed waters. Many have been forced to abandon fishing, turning to other jobs to survive.

This unchecked dredging feeds the city's economic engine but visibly disturbs Lagos' aquatic ecosystems, exemplified by peer-reviewed studies highlighting water contamination and ecological disruptions. Without stricter regulations and government intervention, the delicate balance between economic development and environmental preservation remains at risk.

(With inputs from agencies.)