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General News of Thursday, 24 June 2021

Source: thenationonlineng.net

Lagos to get water testing, reference lab

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu

A testing and reference laboratory to help prevent waterborne diseases in Lagos will be inaugurated in four weeks, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who spoke at the 2021 Lagos International Water Conference (LIWAC), added that plans are also on to establish a Development Finance Institution Investment Fund that will make Lagos the first African megacity to adopt leading technologies in the community-based off-grid water supply.

He was represented by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.

The theme of the conference is ‘Water Security and Investment Opportunities in Megacities: A case of Lagos State’, and was organised by the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO).

The Governor, who reiterated his administration’s efforts at bridging the water demand deficit, said the Adiyan II plant will soon become operational.

The plant is expected to supply additional 70 million gallons per day (MGD).

The Lagos State Water Supply Master Plan estimates daily water demand in the city at 540 MGD but the current supply is 210 MGD, which translates to less than 40 per cent access to clean, and safe water.

Sanwo-Olu said: “As a government, we are not oblivious of this gap and its consequences on the health of our populace. In order to close this gap, I toured the Lagos Water Corporation Facilities at Adiyan, Iju and Akute at the inception of my administration.

“We have expended resources on these facilities and I am happy to tell you that the Adiyan II plant that will bring an additional 70 MGD to the already existing water capacity will soon become operational.

“We remain dedicated to our goal of becoming a global point of reference in the provision of sustainable safe water and sanitation for our increasing population.

“As a demonstration of our commitment to affordable and sustainable clean water supply, we have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with WaterAid, on capacity building, for improved regulation and expansion of clean water access.

“We are propelled by our concern for the wellbeing of our people to make the water sector economically viable, but we will not put economic gains above the health of Lagosians.

“Our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) efforts in the last two years have been targeted at protecting the overall interest of our people, improving their quality of life while implementing the critical reforms and regulations necessary to optimise financial investments in the water sector.

“With a population of over 22 million people, there is no better time than now to make calculated decisions on what must be done to actualise our goal of an efficient water sector that is complemented with high returns on smart investments.

“With the Sustainable Development Goal 6 as our anchor, we have committed major resources to groundwater quality control, drinking water quality regulation, and packaged water service oversight. All these are being done to improve Lagosians’ productivity and quality of life.

“I strongly believe that achieving water security in Lagos is within our capacity. If cities like Dubai, which was founded in a desert, could transform salted water as well as raindrops into safe and accessible water for their populace, we can even do better with ideas from the private sector.”

Executive Secretary of LASWARCO Mrs Funke Adepoju noted that the conference was to stimulate ideas for the advancement of the WASH sector in line with the Health and Environment pillar of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.

According to her, the multifarious challenges confronting the water and wastewater management sector in Lagos requires a committed and deliberate approach in delivering the ideals of SDG-6 to Lagosians.

She added: “Water, no doubt, is indispensable to human existence; its security and access to inhabitants of a State like Lagos, which has a surging population of over 24 million people and a projected annual growth rate of 3.2% surely is of critical concern and surely demands the attention of all.”