Boat Mishaps: LASWA Vows To Enforce Safety Measures, Go After Lax Operators

The Lagos State Government has vowed to impose stiffer sanctions on boat operators that fall short of the specified standards of commuting on Lagos waterways, just as it promised to enforce safety measures and stop substandard practices in the sector.

The General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr. Damilola Emmanuel, spoke during an interactive session with broadcast journalists, saying his Agency had done so much to reduce the issue of boat mishaps to the barest minimum.

Part of the safety measures, the General Manager explained, was the establishment of LASWA’s Search and Rescue Unit to fully deal with incident operations in the different locations along the State Waterways and improve response time during emergencies.

Emmanuel further disclosed that in recognition of the huge potential of water transportation, Lagos State ensures that the sector is not only viable but safe. Therefore, the Agency would come down hard on any operator that endangers the lives of people commuting along the waterways.

He said, “One of the boat drivers whose actions led to a boat mishap some years back was recently sentenced to life imprisonment. We are coming harder on operators who are compromising standards. With the huge capital committed to the water transportation sector, we cannot fold our arms and allow mediocrity.

The LASWA General Manager further stated that his agency engaged the manufacturer of Yamaha, which manufactures most of the engines used in boats in Lagos State, to reduce the price of boats sold to operators in order to make the business more attractive and profitable for stakeholders.

Admonishing passengers who ply the waterways to be safety conscious always, Emmanuel said, “The life jacket can save you. Buy your own life jacket if you must. Inspect the life jacket that you are given and make sure it does not have holes or is torn while avoiding night travels. Safety consciousness is a collective responsibility, if you see something unusual on the waterways, say it”,