Lagos Water Corporation appeals to the public over lack of water supply

Lagos State Water Corporation has appealed to the general public for the discomfort and inconveniences presently being experienced over disruption of water supply in the last few days.

BusinessDay had reported that some residents in the state expressed their displeasure over non-supply of water by the Lagos State Water Corporation‎ over the past, notably people in some of the affected areas on Allen and Ikeja axis who had alleged that some staff of the corporation said the disconnection was due to non-payment of water rates over a period of time.

In a statement issued yesterday at the Water House, Ijora, Lagos, Muminu Adekunle Badmus, the corporation’s managing director, said “the disruption of water supply being experienced recently in some parts of the metropolis is due to a technical fault at Akute Intake, which affected our major waterworks at Iju and Adiyan.”

While assuring the public of the Corporation’s commitment towards providing un-interrupted water supply, Badmus urged the public to bear with the Corporation as the problem was for a short while.

The Corporation’s engineers are presently working to carry the repairs, he said.

This corroborates BusinessDay’s earlier interaction with Olu Akinmuleya, public relations officer of the water corporation, who explained that the non-supply of water to some parts of the state had nothing to do with non-payment of water rates.

Residents however remain apprehensive, as the lack of water supply has been described as a situation that is threatening epidemic as the residents have resorted to drinking water from wells and boreholes that are unsuitable for human consumption.

This, many say, portends the likelihood of outbreak of water related diseases like cholera. Poor water supply among other points of welfare concern has recently led to protests by students of the University of Lagos, a development that has resulted in the school being shut down with only few weeks to examinations.

Jumai Fabuyi, public relations officer of the University of Lagos Students Union (ULSU), told BusinesDay that while hostel accommodation had been challenging and unconducive, in particular, students had for some time been facing challenges in accessing clean water, a situation that resulted in long queues for water to be made available.

Last week, Daniel Umuzuruike, Ebonyi State commissioner for health, said that within five months the state witnessed outbreak of cholera, the disease ravaged 38 communities in 11 local government areas, and killed 76 persons.