Some Lagos residents have decried the poor access to potable water by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC), amid the cholera outbreak.
They disclosed this in separate interviews on Sunday in Lagos.
They spoke against the background of the LWC assurance to the residents that the state public water is the safest because it conforms with the World Health Organisation’s standards.
They said that they had been relying on boreholes for so many years given that the state’s public water had not been working, thereby exposing them to waterborne diseases.
Mrs Abimbola Oloyede, a resident in Egbeda, said that the public water had not been functioning in Egbeda and Alimosho in general.
Oloyede said that most areas don’t have access to public water.
ALSO READ Cholera: Katsina records 118, Kaduna, Kano zero cases – Reports
“I don’t use public water in my area. The unavailability of public water led to increased household expenditure both in buying sachet water for drinking and borehole water in gallons for other domestic use.
“This adds an extra financial burden on the residents who are struggling already and posing environmental challenges with the littering of the sachet water,” she said.
She urged the Lagos State Water Corporation to ensure the availability of public water to the residents to make access to clean and safe drinking water a reality.
Another resident who lives in Ikorodu, Mrs Bolaji Adesewa, told NAN that the LWC had not been working in the area for many years.
“We all have boreholes that we depend on. Even though we cannot drink it, we use it for domestic use.
“We are also careful of the water we drink because of the outbreak of cholera in town. The LWC should act fast, so we can enjoy potable water in Ikorodu.
“Water scarcity also challenges the ability of residents to keep up with sanitation and healthy living habits,” she said.
Mr Ayo Musari, a resident in the Lekki area of Lagos, said that he had not seen any sign of LWC in his area since he started living there.
“I buy water to drink, which is expensive. And you know we all need to be very careful because of the cholera outbreak in town.
“The LWC needs to be well-funded. With this, everyone will have access to safe and potable water that is free from contamination,” he said.
Mrs Omowunmi Abeeb, a civil servant and resident in Ebute-Metta, said that the LWC was not functional in their area, adding that they stopped getting public water a long time ago.
“In the 90s, there used to be public water but it stopped all of a sudden and we resorted to boreholes.
“We spend a lot for water and more for the water we drink because we won’t want to drink from the boreholes.
“We hope that the old times will come back where the LWC will be very effective in water delivery,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mrs Idayat Komolafe, a resident who lives around Adeniji Adele, Lagos Island, told NAN that the LWC has been supplying water to the area since the outbreak of cholera.
“We don’t have a good water system on Lagos Island, as what we have is contaminated, thereby causing a lot of communicable diseases.
“We hope that the LWC will change and also get the water across to the rest of the city,” she said.
An environmental consultant, Mr Taiwo Adewole, while speaking, said many people in the Lagos areas do not have access to public water.
“Almost every household in the state has its borehole, while some depend on well water, especially in the low-income communities.
Speaking on the health implications of the unavailability of water in Lagos State, Dr Tunji Akintade, a General Physician, said that past tests had confirmed the contamination of some boreholes and well water by pathogens.
Akintade added that nylon water was unsafe for consumption.
“People can get cholera by drinking unsafe water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria,” he said.
However, the Executive Director of Operations, LWC, Mrs Helen Omolanke, assured residents of safe and potable water, advising everyone to maintain good hygiene.
“The water from the LWC is the safest. We have tested the boreholes and other sachet waters in the past and we have seen that the LWC is the best.
“It is reliable. It takes away sickness and you won’t have cholera from drinking LWC water.
“Following reported cases of cholera in Lagos State, particularly Lagos Island, the LWC has started supplying potable water to affected areas,” she said.
Omolanke added that the Iju and Adiyan water works were undergoing massive reconstruction, assuring residents that the two water stations would serve the entire state and beyond when completed.
