By Bunmi Yekini
Lagos is facing a looming sanitation crisis, with 33% of the population lacking adequate facilities, experts revealed at a recent conference. Speaking at the Safely Managed Sanitation Conference, the General Manager of the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office, Engineer Adefemi Afolabi, raised alarm over the state’s dire sanitation infrastructure and called for urgent improvements to address the gaps.
Organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its USAID/Nigeria Lagos Urban, Water Sanitation and Hygiene Activity (LUWASH), the two-day conference, held from September 18 to 19, 2024, aimed to address Lagos’ sanitation challenges. Key attendees included the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, alongside international representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other prominent stakeholders.
The LUWASH initiative, a five-year $38.9 million project, is designed to improve access to clean water and sanitation services in Lagos. During the conference, Afolabi noted the critical infrastructure gap in Lagos, emphasizing that the state has a 97% deficit in wastewater treatment facilities and a 5% Open Defecation (OD) rate. “There is a growing opportunity for private sector involvement to help bridge this gap,” Afolabi stated, advocating for greater investment from businesses and organizations to improve the sanitation infrastructure.
Afolabi further addressed the public health risks of OD, calling it a major obstacle to sustainable sanitation in Lagos. He urged the government and private sector to focus on building accessible and hygienic public toilet facilities to curb this harmful practice. “We must prioritize building accessible and hygienic toilet facilities to eliminate this behavior,” Afolabi remarked, stressing the importance of community education campaigns to raise awareness about proper sanitation practices.
Similarly, Dr. Peter Cookie, Acting Director of the Centre for Water and Sanitation Studies (CWSS) at Rivers State University, pointed out significant deficiencies in water security and sanitation across Nigeria. He highlighted the low skill and knowledge levels among stakeholders, which hinder progress in solving the sanitation crisis. Dr. Cookie also advocated for government support, clearer regulations, and the establishment of well-designed public toilets, which could create jobs and generate revenue for the state.
In line with these efforts, USAID has supported the Lagos State Government in finalizing its new Water Supply and Sanitation Policy for 2024 and rehabilitating several mini waterworks. The LUWASH project has also awarded over $841,000 in grants to local organizations to enhance safely managed Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services across the state.
A USAID representative at the conference highlighted the role of community involvement in the success of any sanitation initiative. “By empowering residents to take ownership of their sanitation challenges, we can cultivate a sense of collective responsibility,” the representative said.
Professor Isiah Akoyeton, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at Lagos State University (LASU), added that disparities in water and sanitation services across Lagos’ urban zones are exacerbating the problem. With Lagos’ rapid urbanization, Professor Akoyeton stressed that robust sanitation systems are vital for preventing waterborne diseases and ensuring environmental sustainability.
The conference stressed the importance of partnerships between government, private sector investors, and communities in solving Lagos’ sanitation challenges and advancing Nigeria’s progress toward meeting its national sanitation targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).