Ferry service operators in Lagos State have called on the state government to find solutions to the menace of water hyacinth on the waterways.

Spokesman of the operators, Capt. Dare Olorunlana, told our correspondent on Monday in Lagos that the weeds —water hyacinth— was hindering the movement of ferries.

Olorunlana, the operator of Texas Ferry— which plies Marina-Apapa route— noted that the weeds often serve as hideouts to dangerous reptiles, especially snakes and crocodiles.

He said the presence of the weeds in the Lagoon had created a lot of problems for the smooth navigation of boats and other water crafts.

He noted that the weeds usually block the waterways between October and March, and had already become a great threat to movement on the lagoon in the Lagos creeks.

Olorunlana appealed to passengers on ferries and other watercrafts to always put on their life jackets for the duration of their journeys.

He noted, however, that no ferry operator would go into the lagoon if just a passenger refused to put on a life jacketbecause the operator would be sanctioned by the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) who patrol the waters.

Meanwhile, the managing director of LASWA, Mr Adeyinka Marinho, on Monday told newsmen that efforts were on by the state government to rid the waterways of water hyacinth.

According to Marinho, there is a joint effort by the LASWA and the Lagos State Waste Management Agency LAWMA to fast-track the clearing of the fast-growing water weeds.

He said that the threat of water hyacinth would soon be a thing of the past in the Lagos lagoon, adding that patronage of ferries was on the increase, with an average 57,000 passengers daily, or about 1.7 million users monthly.

The LASWA chief said that the authority had mapped out plans to improve water transportation in the state, just like the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system.