The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) has commenced the clearance of water hyacinth obstructing waterways in riverine communities across Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas of Ondo State.
The exercise, which began on Monday, November 2, 2026, is aimed at restoring free movement along waterways, improving fishing activities and easing transportation challenges confronting residents of the affected communities.
The invasive aquatic plant has reportedly spread across several waterways, making navigation difficult for fishermen, traders and other residents who depend largely on water transportation for their daily activities.
Speaking during an inspection of the project sites, the Executive Director, Projects, OSOPADEC, Mallam Mallon Ogbaro, who represented the commission's Executive Chairman, Prince Olabiyi Poroye, said the intervention was necessitated by persistent complaints from affected communities.
Poroye explained that the commission considered the exercise necessary because fishing remained the major source of livelihood for many residents, while waterways served as their principal means of transportation and economic activities.
He assured residents that the commission remained committed to addressing environmental challenges affecting communities within its mandate areas and restoring access to blocked waterways.
According to him, the clearance operation would be sustained subject to available budgetary provisions, adding that the commission would continue to engage the Ondo State Government on the possibility of extending the exercise to other affected communities.
Providing further details, the Director of Water, Waterways and Environmental Control, Engr. Goke Aworetan, disclosed that clearance operations were ongoing in several communities across the two local government areas.
He listed some of the benefiting communities as Imoluwa, Igbo-Egunren, Mahintedo, Alape, Ibila, Oropo, Sabomi, Ipoke, Biagbini, Oboro, Inikorogha, Fiyebrasintei, Ukparama and Arogbo, among others.
Aworetan said the intervention would improve navigation, facilitate access to fishing locations and create a more conducive environment for transportation, trading and other commercial activities.
He noted that the uncontrolled spread of water hyacinth had increasingly restricted movement between riverine settlements, thereby affecting residents' ability to transport goods, access fishing grounds and engage in other livelihood activities.
The exercise is expected to bring relief to thousands of residents whose economic survival depends on fishing, farming, trading and water-based transportation.
The intervention is part of the collaborative efforts of OSOPADEC and the Ondo State Government to address environmental challenges, improve the living conditions of residents and stimulate economic activities in the oil-producing communities.