DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF WEST-EAST (ARAROMI-OGHOYE) NAVIGATION CANAL AND SHORE PROTECTION WORKS AT AWOYE INLET, ONDO STATE

Abstract

The West-East (Araromi-Oghoye) Navigation Canal runs parallel to the Ondo State Atlantic Coast. In the 80s, the Canal had to be dredged to a depth of 2.5m below LLWs and more than 1,500,000m³ of sediment were removed. The required navigable depth was difficult to maintain due to heavy siltation caused by swift current of Oluwa River and Awoye Inlet. In this project, design studies were undertaken for improving the situation vis-à-vis the hydrographic regimes of the Oluwa River and the inlet. The entire canal was realigned using the empirical relations between channel width and depth, and sediment transport and current velocities. The construction of a revetment at Awoye has restricted the excess width of the inlet thereby reducing the tidal current flux into the canal.

The results were quite satisfactory as the heavy siltation rate has been reduced. Laudable benefits of the project includes: resuscitation of the Federal Fishing Terminal at Igbokoda abandoned due to insufficient draught for fishing trawlers to ply.

Secondly, the use of Dredged materials for implodering for human settlement, offers a sustainable solution to the problem of waste disposal in dredging construction. The study also identified lack of managerial skills, technical know how, political considerations in contract award and corruption as the peculiar risks of indigenous dredging contractors.