Water and Sanitation Stakeholders in Lagos Strategize on Effective Regulations for Improved Service Delivery as WaterAid Nigeria Identifies Lack of Data as Challenge Impeding Service Delivery

There is need for the Lagos State government to further strengthen its Water and Sanitation regulatory agencies to ensure improved service delivery for residents, inorder to curtail the spread of Cholera.

Head of WaterAid Nigeria, Lagos office, Dr Adebayo Alao, made the call at a one-day stakeholders meeting for representatives from three council areas, Igando- Ikotun, Ikorodu North and Ojodu, held in Ikeja.

Dr Adebayo, who identified some of the challenges in the water and sanitation sector of Lagos to include lack of adequate data, poor advocacy at the grassroots and inadequate regulations for efficient customer service, advocated digitalization of the process for easy collations of end users.

While stating that the recent outbreak of Cholera in Lagos was as a result of poor hygiene at the community level, Dr Alao recommended standardized regulations and establishment of WASH officers at each local government area, with a call on public water customers to pay for services rendered.

“Some of the challenges we are having today in the outbreak of Cholera is simply because there is contamination of water, most especially from feacal matters that is why our water bodies are contaminated and that is what is resulting to Cholera, so if there is adequate regulations of those that are managing sanitation, those that are providing water services and even at community level and household level, everybody have enough education and yhe skills to know that water facilities and Sanitation facilities shouldn’t be located or sited to close to each other because of that interaction, then you will see that some of these things will be greatly reduced”

Stakeholders drawn from the Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources, Lagos Water Corporation, Lagos State Wastewater Management Office and local governments used the occasion to brainstorm on ways to ensure that Lagos residents get unhindered access to potable water by 2030 and end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025