NIWA acquires 2 weed harvesters to clean up river Niger

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has acquired two weed harvesters to enable it undertake regular clearing of weeds from the river Niger.
Managing Director of NIWA, Arch Ahmed Aminu Yar’adua said while conducting Daily Trust round the equipment at the river site that weeds would no more be allowed to grow in the river. He said that the massive growth of weeds in the dredged river Niger was affecting smooth navigational activities.

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has acquired two weed harvesters to enable it undertake regular clearing of weeds from the river Niger.
Managing Director of NIWA, Arch Ahmed Aminu Yar’adua said while conducting Daily Trust round the equipment at the river site that weeds would no more be allowed to grow in the river. He said that the massive growth of weeds in the dredged river Niger was affecting smooth navigational activities.
Yar’adua said the two swamps Devil AVC-101 harvesters were specifically meant for clearing water hyacinth and other aquatic weeds and would be deployed in all the inland waterways in the country to ensure that navigational activities in all the dredged channels were safe and smooth.
He said rather than allow weeds in the dredged channels of the inland waterways to grow and hamper smooth navigation in the river, the equipment would be used for the periodic clearing and cleansing of the river for optimal utilization.
He said the weeds harvesters were one of the mechanical equipments best suited for intervention towards opening up of blocked waterways that is very rampant in the dredged river Niger and other inland waterways in the country.
He said in addition to the dredged River Niger that the weeds harvesters would be required to for periodic clearing of the grasses, as soon as the ongoing dredging of the Orashi River was completed, the weeds harvesters would also be required for similar clearing of grasses within the dredged Orashi River.
Contract for the dredging of the Orashi River from Oguta lake in Imo state to Degema in Rivers state has been awarded to Simidia S and I International Company at the sum of N2.0286Billion and it is expected to be completed within one year.
The 205 kilometers river is expected to be dredged with a bed width of 40 meters, top width of 70 meters and depth below dredging chart datum of 1.5 meters. The Orashi River is the second after river Niger to be dredged among the inland waterways in the country.