New network will help report leakages, vandalism and illegal connections while promoting water conservation and payment for services.
By Bunmi Yekini
The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) has launched a Water Ambassadors Initiative to improve communication with communities, promote water conservation and encourage residents to protect public water infrastructure.
The initiative, launched on Wednesday at the corporation’s headquarters in Ijora, Lagos, will create a network of community representatives expected to share information on water services and relay residents’ concerns to the corporation.
LWC Managing Director Mukhtaar Temitope Tijani urged the ambassadors to provide accurate information, listen to community concerns and promote responsible water use.
“The ambassadors are an important link between the Corporation and the communities it serves,” Tijani said, adding that they would provide a structured channel for communication, feedback and public education.
The corporation said the ambassadors would also encourage residents to pay for water services, report leakages, vandalism and illegal connections and help protect public water infrastructure.
Bolaji Ogunlewe, LWC director of distribution, said the ambassadors would serve as the corporation’s “eyes, ears and voices” at the grassroots.
The programme will initially be piloted in communities with active and reliable water supply and expanded as more rehabilitated infrastructure becomes operational, Ogunlewe said.
The corporation said the initiative would also support school water awareness programmes and promote hygiene and sustainable water management.
LWC said water pressure was expected to improve towards the end of October, with stronger supply anticipated from November, although it did not provide details of the areas or volume of additional supply expected.
The corporation also provided information on its metering arrangements, saying meters were available in parts of its network, while customers in some areas could be required to pay for installation. It said metering would depend partly on water availability because inadequate supply could limit effective use of the devices.
Peju Isola, LWC director of customer, commercial and community engagement, said population growth, urbanisation, pollution, climate change and competing demands were putting increasing pressure on water resources.
She said the ambassadors would need to build trust with residents while avoiding informal or undisclosed arrangements on behalf of the corporation.
The corporation provided the ambassadors with training materials and outreach toolkits and said further capacity-building programmes would follow.
LWC’s head of distribution also committed to responding to reported leakages within 24 hours through the appropriate reporting channels.
The newly appointed ambassadors subsequently took an oath of office administered by Derin Dada of the corporation’s legal department and received letters of appointment and certificates.
The corporation said the initiative was intended to make communities active participants in protecting public water infrastructure, conserving water and supporting sustainable public water services.