In an apparent bid to put an end to the ocean surge, beautify the Bar Beach coastline as well as increase the available land stock on Victoria Island, the Lagos State Government has commenced work on the multi-billion-dollar "Eko Atlantic City."

The grand $3 billion redevelopment scheme, which is seeking to transform the troubled Lagos beachfront into a comprehensive tourism and commercial facility, entails an extensive reclamation exercise - leading to the creation of new land covering about 820 hectares (ha).

The proposed development is targeting 250,000 residents and 200,000 commuters flowing daily to the island. The project is planned to reverse the damage done by decades old erosion and return the coast to its position in the 1950s and 1960s.

The development, Daily Independent learnt, will combine residential, commercial, financial and tourist accommodation in a location to be serviced by a state-of-art, high-tech infrastructure.

The project, which will likely be bigger than the current size of Victoria Island, is to be developed by South Energy X (Limited) under the public-private-partnership (PPP), an initiative that is fast gaining ground in this part of the world.

The development will incorporate central waterway of 30-metre wide to provide water transport facilities connecting the marinas.

Other facilities will include a road network, surface drainage, dedicated electrical power generation plant with underground distribution, water supply, treatment and distribution mains, sewage collection mains with a modern treatment plant, a network of service ducts to provide IT services as well as post-construction maintenance and management facilities.

Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Mr. Segun Oniru, stated in an interview that the overall concept of the Atlantic City was to restore the land lost to coastal erosion since 1905 as well as ensure a permanent solution to the erosion.

"All-in-all, this does not represent more than three per cent of Lagos's current population," Oniru said.

He explained that the land for the development of the city would be reclaimed in a seabed dredging from the Atlantic Ocean in an environment-friendly process without leaving an impact on the marine life.

"The overall area to be reclaimed is 820 hectares or 8,200,000 square metres. The total length of the development is 6,500 metres and on average 1,260 metres wide. To the western boundary of the development exists east mole constructed between 1905 and 1908 to protect the Lagos harbour entrance.

To the east boundary is a revetment of 920 metres in length and incorporates a large Marina with access to the sea. The north boundary is the existing Victoria Island and more specifically the existing Ahmadu Bello Way highway, which will extend to an eight-lane highway known as the Coastal Road under proposed government planning.

His words: "In the past couple of years, this land was lost to the Atlantic Ocean due to the slow erosion of Lagos beaches by the ocean. The proposed design would include protective breakwaters on its outer perimeter to provide shelter from the ocean waters." The breakwater, the commissioner added, would be designed as a submerged and immerged wall utilising advanced x-blocks and enormous x-shaped concrete blocks designed to dissipate the energy of waves.