Lamu shippers call for dredging of shallow channels to ease navigation.

 

Shippers in Lamu island are calling for the dredging of two major channels in the archipelago to allow for smooth navigation of larger boats.

They want the 500-meter long Lamu island to Mand channel and that of Mkanda to Kililana which is about 1.5 kilometers long dredged to deepen and widen them so as to allow ease of use by larger vessels during all seasons.

Currently, the two channels cannot be navigated by larger vessels during low tide.

Shippers have to wait for the tide to rise before they can embark on their journeys while others are forced to start their travels extremely early before the tide drops.

Speaking on Tuesday, Lamu Boat operators Owners and Association chairperson Hassan Awadh said the current shallowness of the two channels was brought about by the dredging at the Lamu port-LAPPSET site in Kililana,Lamu west a few years back.

The sea bed within these two channels has continued to rise over the recent years, making it shallow and unable to hold larger marine vessels during low tide.

“The dredge spoil from the LAPSSET has been swept downstream to these two channels and that’s why they have become too shallow. The more the ocean floor rises, the shallower they become and that’s a challenge to navigation,”said Awadh.

He called on the Kenya Ports Authority-KPA,the Kenya Maritime Authority-KMA and other concerned bodies to have the channels dredged so as to remove the excess soil and other residue causing the water bed to rise.

Khaldun Vae,an investor in the Lamu water transport sector says the situation limits shippers in terms of the number of trips one makes due to the inconsistent tidal levels.

“We can only make a single trip across these islands because most of the time the tide is low and we can’t move around as much as we would. Previously, the trips were unlimited. Let them dredge them up so they attain the necessary depth,”said Vae.

Lamu Old Town has in recent years also witnessed unusual flooding caused by overflow from the Indian Ocean during annual tidal waves.

The situation always leaves homes, shops and streets submerged for days on end.

The situation has also been blamed on the dredging at the Lamu port site which has dangerously lifted the ocean bed causing unstable water levels.

Conservationist Abdulswamad Basheikh said Lamu island has for decades witnessed partial flooding during high tide but that the water rarely reached residential and business areas as it is now.

He says the current situation implies that the seafloor has risen and cannot hold much water hence the overflow and subsequent flooding.

The Mkanda channel was last dredged in 1997 by the US Navy and has been in perfect condition ever since.

Lamu town has over 5000 boats with at least 99% of movement done via sea.    BY THE STAR