{"id":315384,"date":"2026-09-13T10:14:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T04:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insurancekhabar.com\/?p=315384"},"modified":"2026-09-13T10:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T04:30:09","slug":"the-story-of-struggle-where-water-is-the-road-boat-is-life-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.insurancekhabar.com\/the-story-of-struggle-where-water-is-the-road-boat-is-life-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The story of struggle: where water is the road, boat is life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kathmandu. Imagine \u2013 when you wake up in the morning, you open your door and find floating water instead of the road. Where children need small wooden boats, not buses or bicycles, to go to school. <\/p>\n

There is an astonishing world under the famous ‘Third Mainland Bridge’ that connects Lagos, Nigeria’s largest financial center, to the mainland. Which is known worldwide as the ‘Venice of Africa’. <\/p>\n

This is Makoko. A settlement entirely on wooden poles above the water. Water is the road and boats are life. Houses on wooden poles are their existence. <\/p>\n

Located at the mouth of the Lagos Lagoon, the settlement has a history dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally inhabited by fishermen of the Egun and Ilaje tribes who came from the coastal areas of Benin Republic and Nigeria, about one-third is based entirely on mahogany columns submerged above the waters that connect to the Atlantic Ocean. <\/p>\n

There are 1 lakh people living there. This floating settlement has its own distinct and autonomous social structure. It is managed by the traditional chiefs of the local community. <\/p>\n

Life in Makoko revolves entirely around water and fish. Fishing is the main engine of the economy. Early in the morning, the men go out into deep water with their big boats. When they return, the women of the house handle the fish. Which are dried in fresh or wooden boxes and sent to the local market. <\/p>\n

The lifestyle there is amazing. Women sell vegetables, fresh food, drinking water, and household items from small boats. There are also swimming shops, barber salons, churches and mosques. The children there grow up playing swimming and become proficient in boating themselves at the age of 5 or 6. <\/p>\n

Despite the severe lack of resources, the community is self-sufficient. However, this strange charisma hides the harsh reality. Mako suffers from a severe lack of basic amenities. Research shows that only 10 percent of households have access to piped water and the remaining 90 percent of households have to buy clean drinking water from outside at a high price and bring it by boat. Due to the lack of drainage and waste management, all the waste flows directly into the lagoon. This pollutes the water and diseases like diarrhoea and malaria are common among children. <\/p>\n

Mako was originally a quiet and clean fishing village. However, with the rise of Lagos as a megacity, it faced the pressure of a large population. Today, due to global warming, dangerous floods are frequent. In addition, its prime location poses a threat of destruction due to real estate and government projects. Thousands of people have been displaced by government demolition campaigns in 2012 and most recently in January 2026. <\/p>\n

Five Important Lessons<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n