LAGOS – The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has urged boat operators and commuters to ensure strict adherence to safety measures as the rainy season commences.
The Managing Director of LASWA, Mr. Olayinka Marinho, told newsmen in Lagos that it was not safe to travel on waterways when there was downpour and water current rough.
Marinho said the authority would increase its enlightenment and enforcement campaign to ensure maximum protection of lives and property on waterways.
“We have done much more in the provision of life jackets for the operators in various parts of the city.
“We are going about enforcing their usage for their safety; we urged all our passengers to ensure that they put on their life jackets.
“We will close the waterways any day when the rain is heavy or the current is rough that it may endanger lives and property of our operators and commuters,’’ he said.
Marinho said LASWA would ensure that the waterways were closed at certain times to ensure that operators had safe passage, adding that it was not safe to be on water when the rains were very heavy.
He said there would be certain times that LASWA would be closing the waterways early because of poor visibility.
Marinho, however, urged operators to use the navigational buoys to help them to navigate the waterways safely.
According to him, any operator found to carry passengers without observing safety measures would be penalised.
He said that there had been a reduction in the spate of fake life jackets because of government’s intervention in the distribution of free life jackets to operators.
“We have seen a huge decrease in the people who do not put on life jackets while boarding vessels because of government’s intervention.
“We have increased the number of children’s life jackets and more life jackets will be distributed,’’ he said.
Marinho said that the authority would increase its enforcement level of all safety measures on waterways.
He urged water guards to be more careful with petrol products being carried by boat operators along the waterways into different jetties due to the fuel scarcity.
He advised that the guards should be much more security alert.