The Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) has inaugurated its Waterways Sanitation Corps (NDBDA-WSC) in Bayelsa State as part of activities marking World Rivers Day 2026.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the authority, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, launched the initiative at the NDBDA Area Office in Yenagoa, followed by a river clean-up exercise at Oxbow Lake, Swali.

The global observance was held under the theme: “No Forests, No Rivers, No Water, No Life.”

Speaking on the significance of the theme, Amgbare said it was particularly relevant to the Niger Delta, where rivers and creeks function as transportation routes, markets and farmlands, while also forming an important part of the identity of communities in the region.

According to him, the waterways support the livelihoods of more than 30 million people, including fisher folk. He added that the region’s mangroves play important roles in supporting fisheries, filtering water and storing blue carbon.

Amgbare, however, warned that several environmental threats were putting the region’s rivers and the livelihoods they support at risk. These include plastic pollution, oil spills, open defecation, illegal dumping, deforestation and water hyacinth.

He declared that “there is no Blue Economy without clean rivers,” emphasising the direct relationship between the condition of the region’s rivers, the survival of the ocean and the regional economy.

Amgbare said the establishment of the waterways sanitation corps was designed to take the authority’s efforts beyond policy and into practical action.

The Bayelsa chapter was established as a community-based, youth-driven and women-inclusive initiative, with about 100 pioneer members drawn from riverine communities inaugurated as eco-guards and River Guardians.

Their responsibilities include removing plastics and debris from waterways, controlling water hyacinth, encouraging proper waste disposal and planting mangroves and bamboo.

The corps will also gather data on pollution hotspots, water quality and flood risks. Its activities will further include promoting recycling and encouraging the conversion of organic waste into compost and fish feed.

Amgbare called on governments to introduce community river stewardship bye-laws as part of efforts to strengthen protection of waterways.

He also urged traditional rulers to establish a monthly “No dumping on Our River Day” and called on oil, gas and shipping companies to support the initiative through corporate social responsibility.

The Director of Hydrology, Mr. Peace Ebbah, and the Special Assistant to the Managing Director on Blue Economy, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, also advocated sustained action and continued support for the waterways sanitation corps.

Members of the Association of Coastal and Waterways Communities of Nigeria, Bayelsa State chapter, participated in the initiative, describing the inauguration as a commitment to protecting waterways and coastal communities.

Source: Tribune