The National Inland Waterways Authority on Tuesday said it had deployed personnel to patrol waterways across the country for quick response to emergencies.
This was a result of the rising level of flood waters in some parts of the country which had led to an increase in the rate of boat accidents.
NIWA disclosed this in a statement in Onitsha, Anambra State while commiserating with the people and government of the state over the recent boat mishaps which consumed many lives at Umnnakwo in Ogbaru Local Government Area on Tuesday.
The statement signed by the agency’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Jibril Darda’u, was titled, ‘Boat mishap in Anambra State.’
It, however, stated that the boat mishap, caused by mechanical and human error, could have been averted if the basic safety guidelines of wearing life jackets and avoiding overloading, amongst other safety rules were adhered to.
The statement read in part, “It is with deep sadness that the management of NIWA commiserates with the good people and government of Anambra State over the recent boat mishaps which consumed lives at Umnnakwo.
“The boat mishap, though described as a mechanical and human error, could have been averted if the basic safety guidelines of wearing life jackets and avoiding overloading amongst other safety rules were adhered to.
“According to the report from our Onitsha Area Office, at about 12:30 pm on October 7, 2022, it was revealed that the wooden engine boat, after it had loaded passengers, left for its destination; but at a point, the engine developed a mechanical fault and as such could not start again.
“All efforts by the captain of the boat to restart the engine proved abortive and at that point, the wave/current of the river started to pull the boat backwards towards the bridge linking Umunnakwo/Ossomala.
“Some of the passengers who could swim jumped into the river for safety, while others tried to push the boat away from the bridge. Those that could not swim were trapped in the boat and out of fear, they all moved to one side of the boat as soon as the boat collided with the bridge, it capsized, leaving 10 persons dead (all women and children).
“Despite the several efforts of the Managing Director of NIWA, Chief Dr George Moghalu, in distributing free life jackets to boat operators association in all our 23 Area offices nationwide and sensitisation campaign and training for boat operators and water users on the importance of adhering to the safety guidelines on the waterways; it was revealed, to our dismay, that only one of the passengers on board wore a life jacket and was saved, while others were not on a life jacket.”
