Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - The Lagos State Government has raised alarm over the safety of borehole water consumed by residents in the Lekki axis, warning that most of it is likely contaminated with untreated sewage.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting on Drainage and
Water Resources held on Wednesday in Lagos, the Permanent Secretary in the
Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Mahmood Adegbite, issued a
blunt warning that residents who rely on boreholes in Lekki may be “drinking
what I will call ‘shit water’.”
According to Adegbite, the alarming situation is the result
of unregulated urban development, inadequate wastewater treatment systems, and
poor environmental planning.
These factors, he explained, are allowing untreated faecal
matter to seep into the underground water table , a development that poses
grave public health risks.
“Everyone is digging or has dug a borehole borehole within
the Lekki axis. Safety concerns, health and environmental concerns are not
considered. Adegbite stated.
He continued, “If we are able to treat all the wastewater
within this axis and reuse it, we should be able to eradicate any form of
disease that might result from the non-treatment of our waste.”
His remarks came in the aftermath of unusually heavy
rainfall on August 5, which brought widespread flooding to parts of Lagos
during what is typically a dry “August break.”
The downpour has further heightened concerns over water
safety in flood-prone and densely populated areas such as Lekki.
Adegbite stressed that climate change, unchecked
urbanisation, and poor infrastructure planning are colluding to undermine water
safety and public health in Lagos.
To address the crisis, the state Government is advocating
for the urgent development of wastewater treatment infrastructure across the
Lekki corridor and other rapidly growing areas of the state. Officials say such
measures are crucial to preventing outbreaks of waterborne diseases like
cholera, typhoid, and dysentery.
Residents have been urged to regularly test their borehole
water and install proper water treatment systems as a preventive step.
While no specific timeline was given for the rollout of
sanitation infrastructure, Adegbite assured stakeholders that the government
remains committed to long-term solutions for the dual challenges of water
contamination and urban flooding.
The situation in Lekki reflects a broader environmental
crisis plaguing many Nigerian cities. Despite decades of warnings, government
efforts across the subnationals have struggled to tame what many now call
“environmental monsters.”
From indiscriminate building practices to inadequate
sanitation systems, the consequences have been dire with recurring floods,
outbreaks of diseases like cholera and Lassa fever, and mounting casualties.
Surveys have repeatedly ranked Lagos among the most
unliveable cities in the world, citing poor infrastructure and environmental
degradation.
The question remains: will Nigeria and Lagos in particular,
ever summon the political will and systemic discipline needed to overcome these
challenges? Time will tell.
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