Boat operators and fishermen doing busineas in the Ijede area of Ikorodu and Tarzan in Eti-OsaEti-OsaL in Lagos State have lamented their losses following the invasion of the river by water hyacinth.
The boat operators  said the seaweed had taken over the lagoon and had damaged their engine propellers, gearbox and impellers, thereby causing great havoc to their business.
The fishermen said apart from the damages caused by the weeds to the boat engines,  they are also unable to go out fishing for fear of losing their nets to the plants.
An outboard engineer and boat operator, Mr. Rasheed Fashina, said the seaweed had caused many of the outboard engines to get damaged, noting that when the engines get entangled with the plants, they stop pumping water.
He stated that no matter how skilful an operator is in dodging the seaweed, he would only succeed in incurring more costs as the travelling time would be longer.
In a statement made available to The Tide on Wednesday  the operators said the”Seaweed is our major problem on this route. Sometimes, the plants are so thick that one will not be able to manoeuvre one’s way but to sail through them. They cause much damage to the propeller, impeller and gearbox.
“In the case of damage to the impeller, if the operator/helmsman does not notice on time that it has stopped pumping water, it will result in flooding, which usually leads to the outboard engine getting damaged.
“The seaweed invasion started about two months ago. This is what we have been facing since that time. The plants can only be exterminated when salt water from the Atlantic Ocean starts flowing into the lagoon.
“About three years ago, the Lagos State Waterways Authority deployed some boats that used to shred the seaweed. But, now, they are saying that the boats are no longer functioning. The least price for each of these outboard engines is N3.5m.”
A fisherman Andrew Emmanuel, said since the seaweed took over the water, he and his colleagues had stopped going out to fish.
“When the nets are let down, the fishes that are supposed to be caught will not be able to enter the nets as the seaweed and planks get stuck in the nets.
“When the seaweed season is around, we hardly go out fishing. We don’t usually catch any fish when we let down our nets. The seaweed gets entangled in the nets as well as the planks underneath them.
“We normally return home with torn nets as we struggle to free the nets from the elements.