OKIES VEEKY

Sand and gravel are very useful to man for the construction and building of houses, roads, bridges and other infrastructures, this has made man to go extra length to source for them not minding the negative impact on the environment.

In the course of searching for sand to meet up with high demand, man has devised means of dredging lakes, shallow waters, rivers and even swamps nearby, it has become a booming business in parts of Delta State to mobilize sand dredgers to sites to source for sand to sell to the public and construction companies without taking cognizance of the negative impact on the ecosystem and the people.

According to the dictionary, sand dredging is the excavation or removal of sharp sand from under the river, lakes, creeks or swamps. It is also the removal of silt, sediments or debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbour and other water bodies.

Sand dredging is a routine necessity in waterways to ensure the waterways are safe for free movements of boats, vessels and other water crafts because it is often focused on maintaining or increasing the depth of navigation channels.

But this discourse would dwell more on the indiscriminate commercialization of dredged sand from shallow and deep rivers nearby, lakes, swamps and nearby flowing and non-flowing waters by men who have decided to “eat up the earth” because of their inordinate ambition and craze for wealth not minding the consequences or negative impact on the people and environment.

In parts of Delta State, Ughelli North, Okpe, Udu and Uvwie Local Government Areas, specifically in Effurun, Ovwian, Ugolo, Uvwiama, Agbarho, Oteri and Ughelli towns, businessmen now mobilize locally made sand dredgers to shallow rivers running behind these cities and towns, lakes, swamps and creeks for sand dredging businesses to dig up sand for sale to would-be developers.

These groups of businessmen and women construct locally made sand dredgers at a cost of between N4 to N5 Million mobilize to identified locations in these cities, one very close to the Agbarho Bridge on the East/West Road, another one opposite it, some around the bridge in Ughelli also on the ever busy East/West Road, Oteri community in Ughelli and so many others in Ugolo, Okpe L.G.A. Ovwian in Udu and Uvwiama, Agbarho, Ughelli North L.G.A. As soon as they mobilize to site, employ a handful of youths, get an excavator to help load sand in tippers, they are good to go ahead to “eat up the earth”.

Findings revealed that these business men/women register their various business names, get registered with the State Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). Further findings revealed that these agencies of government particularly the Local governments , Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, National Inland Waterways Authority and communities that plays host to sites capitalizes on the craze to “eat the earth” to boost their internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and most times pay less attention to the impact on the environment as community executives smile to the banks always but the Delta State Ministry of Environment does not only ensure that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report be carried out but insists on best practices in dredging operations but how far this goes to check the menace of these sand dredgers is yet to be seen .

According to Dr. Kelvin I. Idehen, Director of Engineering, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun “cumulative dredging impact is based on location, technology, bio-diversity, Environmental Impact Plan (EIP), noise, impairment of fishing activities, visual/seascape impact, damage to existing infrastructures such as bridges, roads, jetties, electric cables and poles, damage to buildings, farmlands among others.”

A number of sand beach owners in Ugolo, Effurun, Uvwiama community, Agbarho, Oteri Community in Ughelli , Ughelli main town and Ovwian Community, Udu Local Government Area were spoken to in the process of working on this piece, quite a sizeable proportion insisted that aside from minor damage to infrastructures (such as roads) which they even help to fix/repair, their activities does not in any way negatively impact the environment or ecosystem rather they are helping government to solve unemployment problem as well as helping to grow the economy of where they operate.

Mr. Adebayo Oluwaseun, Beach Manager of a sand beach near the Agbarho Bridge explained that very many of them adhere strictly to guidelines and regulations given to them by the State Ministry of Environment and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), some of which are that dredging sites must be sited three hundred meters away from main roads and  get valid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report before commencement of operations but the question is, how are the operators monitored to ensure that these conditions are complied with as one site in Ovwian sited on Old Ujevwu Road near Daddy Osimini Street, Achovwe Layout has been operating without an EIA Report for over one year now, this site is reputed to  have caused damage to infrastructures and private buildings with impunity until the cry of a concerned landlord whose building is almost being washed off at the foundation cried out to the Ministry of Environment that acted swiftly by dispatching a monitoring task force, this visit made the operator to go for an EIA Report.

Another businessman, Mr. Simon Oyoka, who has a sand beach in Uvwiama, a community in Agbarho insisted that since he has registered with the Ministry of Environment and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and got an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report, he is not breaching nor impacting the environment negatively even when it pointed out to him that his dredged sand is causing nuisance to a nearby building as well as damage to other private buildings and roads, he said that after all he is paying over N850,000 annually to the community just as he is also creating employment for community youths and maintaining the only access road to the area which is in very bad shape due to usage by many heavy duty trucks.

On his part, Engr. Godwin Ibekwe, a supervisor with a construction company that ‘consumes large quantity of sand for road construction said that he is aware of the impact of sand dredging on the environment hence his company( names withheld) has a policy of strictly adhering to laid down procedures of best practice in sourcing for sand, adding, “I am using this opportunity to call on all government agencies, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with interest on the environment and individuals to wake up and protect the environment as some of these sand dredgers are not adhering to laid down procedures of best practice.”

Mr. Tega Okorogri, a business man and farmer who resides in Daddy Osimini Street, Achovwe Layout, Ovwian, Udu Local Government Area was very bitter and angry as part of his house is almost been washed away due to activities of sand dredgers, he disclosed that the sand beach that is less than one hundred meters away from his building against the statutory three hundred meters as stipulated by National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and State Ministry of Environment is causing great damage to his house that has made part of his fence to fall and part of the building’s foundation almost being washed off.

Mr. Okorogri  disclosed that he wrote a petition over the issue to the Commissioner for Environment, Delta State, adding that this made the Ministry to send a team for an on-the-spot assessment where they discovered that the man, ‘eating up the earth'( owner of the sand dredging site) has no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report as required by law, adding, “their visit made the people stop dredging for just two days, after which, they commenced again. Government workers should take their duty serious, let corruption not blindfold them to turn their backs to enable these men( sand dredgers) to destroy the environment, my house is gradually going down, they have destroyed the only access road to some houses in the layout. Government should come to our aid before our motive is to make money and not bothered as to how the environment should be remediated cause collateral damage to the environment and infrastructures.”

Mr. Sunday Oghenekevwe who resides in Uvwiama, Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government Area said that he has cried out to the state government and other Federal Government agencies over damage done to infrastructures such as roads, electric poles, cables and pollution of the environment by the thick fumes coming from excavators and trucks coming and going to collect dredged sand.

According to Mr. Oghenekevwe, “I am using this opportunity to call on government at all levels to come to our aid, these people who are dredging sand here in Uvwiama, Agbarho has done a lot of damage to our only access motor able road, we pass through hell during the rainy season, the roads were destroyed by trucks, excavators and other heavy duty equipment brought for this their ‘killer business’. Their trucks have destroyed electric cables and poles that supply the area electricity thereby throwing the area into darkness for months and hardship thus working against the economic advancement of the area as all economic activities would be at very low ebb when there is no electric supply. Government should act now to save us from the nefarious activities of these shylock , who are only interested in smiling to the bank at the expense of the degraded environment.”

Mr. Oghenekevwe further called on all concerned government and its agencies to up their game by doing their jobs well,  go on regular routine monitoring of dredging sites to ensure they adhere strictly to set global best pratice in the interest of the people, adding, “the people are the ones bearing the brunt, the environment is gradually being degraded and there is no conscious efforts by the these business men or government to remediate it, so what are we going to hand over to our children and generations yet unborn? Our roads are being destroyed,  the ecosystem is under pressure, thick fumes are emitted daily into it, who do we cry to for help, in no distant time, our children and old people would be affected negatively.”

In the same vein, Mrs. Mariam Okpako who owns a provision store cum drinking joint at Oteri, Ughelli in Ughelli North Local Government Area decried the attitude of the dredgers (men who eat up the earth) saying that their illegal activities is denying the government of its revenue as well as causing the people and the environment more harm than good.

According to Mrs. Okpako, “they don’t adhere strictly to global best standards, the required needs of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report is not being enforced. These people are heartless, they have made all fishes and other marine life gradually go into extinction, you can no longer fish in our swamps or lakes, they have also destroyed our roads, disrupt electric supply and even destroyed some buildings, the house of my senior sister of which, I am the caretaker was destroyed by a truck recently, the truck had a break failure, God was nice to us because there was no one in the house on that fateful day, else someone would have died, they offered to repair the house but for how long can we live with this looming danger daggling over our heads, it is a keg of gunpowder waiting to explode one day. The environment is badly being depleted, government should

wake up to its responsibility or else we, the people will take the bull by the horn, take our destinies in our own hands and pursue these sand dredgers from our domain.”

Mr. Julius Otabunor, a youth and an activist in Effurun has this to say, “I have suffered a very big loss in the hands of these sand dredgers when I was staying in Ovwian, Udu Local Government Area, the people were mobilizing to site with heavy duty equipments and in the process the excavator destroyed the house I was staying, thieves entered my house through the damage because I was not at home and stole some of my properties, I had to act immediately when I came back, involved the police and the media, this action of mine jolted them to opt for out of court settlement by replacing all my properties that were stolen. Government is not doing much in this regard to protect the environment and the people, government should take a bold step to protect the people or else, a time would come when the people would rise up to the challenged and fight for themselves.”

On the impact on the communities or the larger society, Chief John Ighoteguono Gbenedio, President-General, Agbarho Urhobo Improvement Union (AUIU) that plays host to a number of sand dredging beach came hard on these men, who are now “eating up the earth”, he called on government to sanction them saying that their activities on the Agbarho River is a time bomb waiting to explode as the bridge on the East West Road now has a short life span because their dredging activities is already exposing the foot (of the bridge) to danger, adding, “We in Agbarho don’t know these so called sand dredgers, that bridge is gradually giving way due to their activities. How can you dredge sand near the bridge? There are two of such dredging sites on both sides of the bridge, this is dangerous. Government should come down hard on them, discourage this, our people can no longer go fishing, what is this? Regulatory agencies should do more in the interest of future generations. Regulatory agencies should ensure best practice in the sand dredging business to ensure that our infrastructures such as roads, bridges, electric poles/wires are not destroyed in the process of doing their business.”

Major concern of all businessmen who operates sand beach is not different from that of the average Nigeria businessman whose goal is to make more profit not minding damage done to the environment, infrastructures and humans.

Contacted on the issue, Hon. John Nani, Commissioner for Environment said the dredgers are constituting ecological menace to the state, adding that the state government is having legal battles with some of them. He said that the state government would not fold it’s arm to watch some few people destroy the environment without looking for ways to remediate it.

Chief Nani explained that the Ministry is having issues with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and National Inland Waterways (NIWA) as mining is on the Exclusive List to be handled by the Federal Government, adding, “but we at the State level insists that since we bear the brunt of impacts, it is proper that we have a say and the Extant Ecology Law 2006 empowers us to so do.

Corroborating his boss, Mr. Milton Odirin Sagboje, Special Assistant to the Commissioner has this to say, “the Honourable Commissioner and his team are concerned about the impact of sand dredging on the ecosystem, the Ministry has put in place machineries to   discourage anyone who does not carry out operations according to best practice and laid down procedures, we ensure that every dredging site must have an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Report before commencement of operations, this has discouraged many and reduced the number of operators to the barest minimum in the state. We also embark on monitoring exercise to ensure operators adhere strictly to best practice. Yes, it is true that government generates revenue from it but not, I repeat NOT to the detriment of the people of the state, we are out to ensure best practice and anyone who flouts it, the hammer falls upon him/her, such operator must be sanctioned, we have done it before, we shall continue to do it to ensure safe environment for Deltans.”

Findings revealed that the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development that is statutorily empowered by the constitution to over -see these activities seems not to be effective in the state as there are no concrete efforts by them to monitor and supervise the activities of sand dredgers in Delta State . If not for the State Ministry of Environment, these sand dredgers would have been operating with impunity and even at that, most of them (dredgers) still do not follow best practice.

National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) seems to be embroiled or concerned with who should register or have control over the sand dredgers as there seems to be a no love lost between the Authority and Delta State Ministry of Environment over who should control, monitor or collect revenue from sand dredgers.

At the Warri office of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Engr. Daniel Ogbe, Head of Department, Marine explained that the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Act 2004, the Act establishing the Authority empowers the agency to oversee the

activities, approve sites, give designs and licences for would be sand dredgers. He explained that the Authority is carrying out its statutory roles effectively as they insist on a EIA report, give a considerable distance from any road/bridge to avoid any damage to existing infrastructures by operators.

Speaking on how best to remediate the ecosystem/environment that has been impacted by activities of these men/women ‘eating up our land’, Dr. Idehen said that a Post Impact Assessment (PIA) Environmental audit and Environmental status study must be carried out on the ecosystem by a Federal Ministry of Environment registered consultant to identify significant impact and their magnitude.

According to Dr. Idlehen, “thereafter, remediation, mitigation measures and pollution control and management should be put in place to address all identified negative impacts,” he added that government agencies and all stakeholders to the environment related issues must all be alive to their responsibilities with a view to save the environment from further degradation.

It is clear that government agencies such as local governments, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) among others are lackadaisical  towards efforts to protect the environment against negative impact and degradation as their monitoring roles are always tainted or tilted towards favouring the so called ‘cabals’ that  ‘eats up the earth’.

They should carry out their duties effectively and efficiently, abhor corruption because environment treated with levity today may fight back tomorrow with flood,  lack of infrastructures, damage to water channels, lack of food(seafood) among others.

Government should ensure that the environment (rivers, lakes, shallow waters, creeks, infrastructures such bridges, roads, buildings electric cables among others) that are at the receiving end (degraded) by the operations of these sand dredgers are adequately remediated. The communities must ensure that guidelines stipulated for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report are strictly adhered to in the overall interest of the people. And when discovered that the environment or the ecosystem has been impacted negatively, all agencies of government, Non Governmental Organizations with bias for the environment, the community and individuals must all rise up to the challenge to ensure that thorough activities are carried out or else, in no distant time, as we do not put back what is taken from the environment to sustain it, the resultant effects could best be imagined. To be warned is to be armed, so, men/women who are ‘eating up the earth’ must have a re-think, work to help sustain the environment to avoid colossal  damage that would be to the detriment of all.