The Lagos State government has trained one hundred enumerators to carry out a ten day survey on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH in the State.
This is part of efforts to generate data on availability of WASH facilities in public places, including schools, markets, and hospitals.
The survey will also include a baseline study of the State Water Corporation facilities, capacity and supply as well as water schemes constructed by international agencies and private entities.
In his remarks during the one day training of the enumerators in Ikeja, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, who was represented by the Director Drainage Enforcement, Mr Mahmoud Adegbite explained that the data generated would enable government to know specific areas to direct investments into.
“We already know some of our inadequacies and that’s why we are doing Adiyan scheme II, so, from the data that will be generated, we will know the functional water schemes, how adequate they are, the sanitation facilities, their status, so that if households are reporting inadequate water supply, we know what to do while planning and implementing” he said
On her part, the Director, Water Resources, Mrs Omolanke Taiwo pointed out that in addition to access, the survey would also enable the State government to check indiscriminate drilling of boreholes across Lagos
She said “From the survey, we will know if we have enough boreholes in a particular locality and if anyone wants to drill boreholes, we will be able to say enough is enough”
The Consultant to the State Government on WASH, Mrs Muslimat Sanni-Anibire explained that the baseline survey would also cover the quality of water available to Lagosians.
“There are some provisions in some local governments that are no longer adequate for the population, some will need to be upscaled and some may need rehabilitation and there are some schemes that the groundwater may have been polluted and this will be evident in the water quality, and enable government to decommission such and resort to surface water or make other alternative provisions for residents in such areas” Sanni-Anibire explained.
The survey will be conducted across all Local government and Council Development Areas from the 16th of this month to the 25th.
