Environment experts and human right groups have raised fresh concerns
over possible environmental impacts of Eko Atlantic City project,
raising concerns, that if the Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, was
not duly obtained as speculated, its impacts in the near future would be
very devastating This fear is coming on the heels of the 10th
Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, in the United States of America, which
occurred in August 2005, claiming several lives and destroying
properties worth several billions of dollars.
Human Rights Group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP had few weeks ago, instituted a legal action against Lagos state government over alleged inability to secure EIA, before commencing the project.
The group had approached the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to halt the ongoing dredging of Atlantic Ocean on the ground that it did not secure the impact assessment, saying it might lead to environmental degradation.
It would be recalled that Lagos state government partnered with a consortium of foreign companies, involved in deep sea dredging to construct high-rise commercial and residential buildings, aimed at recovering the shores of Bar Beach as well as Kuramo Beach in Victoria Island, Lagos.
LEDAP said such project was embarked upon by the state government without proper impact assessment, saying the dredging might lead to overflowing of coastal environment and rural communities living along the bank of the ocean.
An environment expert, Samuel Olajide cautioned Eko Atlantic city contractors to ensure due diligence in the project, stressing that anything short of it, might cause doom in the near future.
Citing America and other disaster-prone countries as cases in point, where reclaiming of sea land had caused severe Hurricane, Olajide said reclamation of sea land increases water table, necessitating salt water (fresh water) to move seaward as degree of changes depends on the extent of reclamation and hydraulic conductivity of fill materials.
He however urged the contractors to abide by special rule for undertaking reclamation of sea land in line with national and international standards. He said, ‘’though sovereignty of states allow for reclaiming of sea land within 12 nautical miles of territorial sea, however, it must be considered whether it falls within relevant rights and jurisdictions of states.
Besides, the impact assessment should be obtained to avoid unforeseen circumstances in the near future’’,‘’From 12 to 200 nautical miles, in so far as reclamation is part of the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures, it must be governed by articles on the Exclusive Economic Zone as well as continental shelf’’, he added.
Experts said, within such areas, coastal states may undertake reclamation as long as they give due notice to the rights of other neighbouring states. Such artificial islands, according to them,, are clearly not entitled to maritime zones other than a 500 meter safety zone and cannot be established, where they may interfere with international navigation.
Environment analyst, Mike Ochie said construction associated with reclaiming of sea land may destabilise sediments, which in turn reduces populations of wading birds, hence species such as oystercatcher and dunlin may lose feeding grounds as they prefer muddy substratum.
According to him, “The dredging of the ocean and construction of buildings on reclaimed land under Eko Atlantic City would not only flood the coastal areas of Lagos, but also destroy aquatic life in the nation’s territorial waters, including fishes and animals, thereby affecting the rich ecosystem of the ocean, Lagoon and adjourning rivers, swamps and wetland of the country.
At a larger scale, land reclamation may also reduce the carrying capacity of the entire migration and winter feeding grounds while intensifying competition and increasing winter mortality rates. Debunking the allegations of not securing impact assessment before construction, Eko Development Company Limited, EDCL, said such fears were unfounded as it carried its EIA effectively to forestall possible future impacts, thus dismissing such allegations as unfounded.
‘’We conducted a proper Environmental Impact Assessment of the project as required by law before going ahead with the project’’, the company said. It said the project started in 2003, when Lagos state government sought to protect Bar Beach from severe coastal erosion and safeguarding it from flooding.
And between 2003 and 2005, the developers as well as city planners of Eko Atlantic, the South Energyx Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Chagoury Group, engaged in a feasibility study with international experts to ensure long-lasting and enduring city that would be free from negative impacts.
Under the project, government intends to reclaim about nine million square metres of land, 2.4 kilometres south of Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos between now and 2016. EEDCL, said it launched its Azuri Peninsula project, under mixed-use development scheme in Marina District of the state.
Chief Responsibility Officer of the Company, Ms Ibieme Ogolo said such investment would involve some private investors as well as corporate entities to transform the sealand into ocean-front city.
According to her, ‘’ECDL is designed to create luxury residences of highest specification while creating exceptional residential buildings in Azuri Peninsula. Such project is part of a long-term programme, aimed at creating outstanding homes to teeming Nigerians, describing the project as distinctive’’.
It was gathered that the first phase of Eko city comprises 120 luxury apartments, 12 super- luxury simplexes and two superb Villas as well as 7 fine townhouse apartments with a three-year completion plans. It is also expected to have a five star marina as well as yacht club with attractive promenade, high-end shops and cafe sand in a sophisticated environment.
Such landmark scheme, National Mirror learnt has the highest standards of contemporary living as all apartments would be fully-fitted with finest materials, including state-of-the art kitchens and luxurious bathrooms among others. However, some Lagos-based legal experts have said, unless urgent steps were taken to ascertain the impacts of the project, the effects would be much on the lives and properties of many Lagosians and by extension, the nation’s environment.
This, according to them, would be in addition to variety of pressures such as degradation through high levels of pollution, waste discharge and damage to habitats and wildlife by high levels of recreational pressure. They also noted that the greatest impact of land reclamation is due to depletion of area loss.
For instance, land reclaimed has removed 24 percent of natural fish habitats in the estuary and 40 percent of their food supply. It claimed that the project would have a destructive impact on aquatic life in the entire Nigerian territorial waters and the environment of the coastal communities, including Victoria Island, Lekki Peninsula and several fishing settlements on the west coast of the ocean.
Already, some Lagosians have noted that the project is not part of the housing projects, aimed at addressing the housing problems of Nigerians, saying the city is meant for wealthy individuals and corporate bodies, who can afford them. For instance, a plot of land, they say, costs little above N200 million per square metres, which is between $825 and $1,600.
The costs, according to some experts were denominated in dollars to protect buyers against fluctuations in Naira exchange rate. Recalling, some experts said, China’s reclamation activities in the Southern sea led to its direct responses to legal challenges launched by Manila. For the country, its artificial islands also address its own perceptions of weakness in strategic situation at sea and appear to be attempts to guarantee itself against an adverse ruling.
It also aimed to re-capture high ground and pressure littoral states in the region to recognize that Beijing’s claims cannot be easily dismissed nor its interests denied.
Human Rights Group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP had few weeks ago, instituted a legal action against Lagos state government over alleged inability to secure EIA, before commencing the project.
The group had approached the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to halt the ongoing dredging of Atlantic Ocean on the ground that it did not secure the impact assessment, saying it might lead to environmental degradation.
It would be recalled that Lagos state government partnered with a consortium of foreign companies, involved in deep sea dredging to construct high-rise commercial and residential buildings, aimed at recovering the shores of Bar Beach as well as Kuramo Beach in Victoria Island, Lagos.
LEDAP said such project was embarked upon by the state government without proper impact assessment, saying the dredging might lead to overflowing of coastal environment and rural communities living along the bank of the ocean.
An environment expert, Samuel Olajide cautioned Eko Atlantic city contractors to ensure due diligence in the project, stressing that anything short of it, might cause doom in the near future.
Citing America and other disaster-prone countries as cases in point, where reclaiming of sea land had caused severe Hurricane, Olajide said reclamation of sea land increases water table, necessitating salt water (fresh water) to move seaward as degree of changes depends on the extent of reclamation and hydraulic conductivity of fill materials.
He however urged the contractors to abide by special rule for undertaking reclamation of sea land in line with national and international standards. He said, ‘’though sovereignty of states allow for reclaiming of sea land within 12 nautical miles of territorial sea, however, it must be considered whether it falls within relevant rights and jurisdictions of states.
Besides, the impact assessment should be obtained to avoid unforeseen circumstances in the near future’’,‘’From 12 to 200 nautical miles, in so far as reclamation is part of the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures, it must be governed by articles on the Exclusive Economic Zone as well as continental shelf’’, he added.
Experts said, within such areas, coastal states may undertake reclamation as long as they give due notice to the rights of other neighbouring states. Such artificial islands, according to them,, are clearly not entitled to maritime zones other than a 500 meter safety zone and cannot be established, where they may interfere with international navigation.
Environment analyst, Mike Ochie said construction associated with reclaiming of sea land may destabilise sediments, which in turn reduces populations of wading birds, hence species such as oystercatcher and dunlin may lose feeding grounds as they prefer muddy substratum.
According to him, “The dredging of the ocean and construction of buildings on reclaimed land under Eko Atlantic City would not only flood the coastal areas of Lagos, but also destroy aquatic life in the nation’s territorial waters, including fishes and animals, thereby affecting the rich ecosystem of the ocean, Lagoon and adjourning rivers, swamps and wetland of the country.
At a larger scale, land reclamation may also reduce the carrying capacity of the entire migration and winter feeding grounds while intensifying competition and increasing winter mortality rates. Debunking the allegations of not securing impact assessment before construction, Eko Development Company Limited, EDCL, said such fears were unfounded as it carried its EIA effectively to forestall possible future impacts, thus dismissing such allegations as unfounded.
‘’We conducted a proper Environmental Impact Assessment of the project as required by law before going ahead with the project’’, the company said. It said the project started in 2003, when Lagos state government sought to protect Bar Beach from severe coastal erosion and safeguarding it from flooding.
And between 2003 and 2005, the developers as well as city planners of Eko Atlantic, the South Energyx Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Chagoury Group, engaged in a feasibility study with international experts to ensure long-lasting and enduring city that would be free from negative impacts.
Under the project, government intends to reclaim about nine million square metres of land, 2.4 kilometres south of Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos between now and 2016. EEDCL, said it launched its Azuri Peninsula project, under mixed-use development scheme in Marina District of the state.
Chief Responsibility Officer of the Company, Ms Ibieme Ogolo said such investment would involve some private investors as well as corporate entities to transform the sealand into ocean-front city.
According to her, ‘’ECDL is designed to create luxury residences of highest specification while creating exceptional residential buildings in Azuri Peninsula. Such project is part of a long-term programme, aimed at creating outstanding homes to teeming Nigerians, describing the project as distinctive’’.
It was gathered that the first phase of Eko city comprises 120 luxury apartments, 12 super- luxury simplexes and two superb Villas as well as 7 fine townhouse apartments with a three-year completion plans. It is also expected to have a five star marina as well as yacht club with attractive promenade, high-end shops and cafe sand in a sophisticated environment.
Such landmark scheme, National Mirror learnt has the highest standards of contemporary living as all apartments would be fully-fitted with finest materials, including state-of-the art kitchens and luxurious bathrooms among others. However, some Lagos-based legal experts have said, unless urgent steps were taken to ascertain the impacts of the project, the effects would be much on the lives and properties of many Lagosians and by extension, the nation’s environment.
This, according to them, would be in addition to variety of pressures such as degradation through high levels of pollution, waste discharge and damage to habitats and wildlife by high levels of recreational pressure. They also noted that the greatest impact of land reclamation is due to depletion of area loss.
For instance, land reclaimed has removed 24 percent of natural fish habitats in the estuary and 40 percent of their food supply. It claimed that the project would have a destructive impact on aquatic life in the entire Nigerian territorial waters and the environment of the coastal communities, including Victoria Island, Lekki Peninsula and several fishing settlements on the west coast of the ocean.
Already, some Lagosians have noted that the project is not part of the housing projects, aimed at addressing the housing problems of Nigerians, saying the city is meant for wealthy individuals and corporate bodies, who can afford them. For instance, a plot of land, they say, costs little above N200 million per square metres, which is between $825 and $1,600.
The costs, according to some experts were denominated in dollars to protect buyers against fluctuations in Naira exchange rate. Recalling, some experts said, China’s reclamation activities in the Southern sea led to its direct responses to legal challenges launched by Manila. For the country, its artificial islands also address its own perceptions of weakness in strategic situation at sea and appear to be attempts to guarantee itself against an adverse ruling.
It also aimed to re-capture high ground and pressure littoral states in the region to recognize that Beijing’s claims cannot be easily dismissed nor its interests denied.
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