Lagos Water Corporation has raised the hope of water consumers in the State, assuring them of the restoration of potable water supply soon.
The Corporation’s Managing Director, Engr. Mukhtaar Tijani gave the assurance at the ongoing Community Water Parliament in observance of the 2024 Africa Week of Resistance Against Water Privatisation organised by Our Water, Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in Ogba, Lagos.
Represented by the LWC Divisional Director, Customers, Commercial and Community Relations/Engagement, Mrs. ‘Peju Isola, the event, among other things, was aimed at addressing the water gap in Lagos.
While providing education and insights into the corporation’s efforts to address water challenges and issues such as lack of access to potable water supply, water supply pollution, and high water tariffs, the Managing Director hinted at how the communities can also support strengthening the LWC’s work to improve water access.
Commending the organisers for bringing the attention of the communities present to the issues of discourse, Engr. Tijani stated that the corporation has prioritised issues of discourse.
He said, “Presently, LWC is restructuring the system. We have done a lot of strategic planning to address the issues raised. A lot of rehabilitation is presently ongoing by the State Government to overhaul the ageing infrastructures of our major Waterworks of 45MGD Iju and 70MGD Adiyan to bring them back to their design capacities”.
“Also, a lot of intervention is being undertaken by the State Government to address issues of chemicals, power outages, and others to get LWC back to work, as LWC is saddled with the mandate to provide potable water to the people of the state”, he added.
The General Manager disclosed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has given a five-year intervention grant to the Lagos Urban Water Sanitation and Hygiene (LUWASH) programme, to scale up capacity for the supply of safe water in five communities in Lagos.
“Presently, the rehabilitation of five mini waterworks in Badore, Lekki, Victoria Island, V/I Annexe, and Ajegunle, is ongoing in the first phase. The second phase will comprise another five mini waterworks, of which Oshodi Waterworks will be part. Also, ongoing is the construction of the Adiyan Phase II Water Treatment plant with a design capacity of 70MGD to serve the western axis of the State”, he added.
