environment
‘The water is no longer our friend’: how dredging is pushing Lagos Lagoon towards ecosystem collapse – photo essay
Taking sand from the Nigerian city’s lagoon to supply a building boom harms more than fish – it affects the entire food chain, erodes coastlines and is depriving fishing communities of their livelihoods
TL;DR
- Sand dredging for Lagos's construction boom is causing significant environmental damage to the city's lagoon.
- The dredging has eroded the seabed, destroyed marine habitats, and reduced fish populations.
- Fishing communities are losing their livelihoods as fish catches decline and water conditions worsen.
- Coastal erosion is accelerating, threatening homes and communities.
- Weak regulation and enforcement allow for widespread, often illegal, dredging activities.
- The ecological impact threatens sea turtles, migratory birds, and regional species.
- Activists call for environmental monitoring, habitat restoration, and a moratorium on dredging in sensitive areas.