Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has bemoaned the consistent shortage of water in Lagos despite the call on the Lagos State Government on residents to observed the protocols of Covid-19.
Washing of hands and availability of water is one of he cardinal rules of observing the protocols of Covid-19.
Speaking at a special event to mark the World Water day 2021 and the launch of another report on the parlous state of water supply in the state, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, said âWater has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture and health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment,â Â and called on governments at all levels to make sure water is made available to majority of the people as a way of curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
From left: Ejiofor, CAPPA’S Associate Director, Aderonke Ige, Executive Director, Oluwafemi and Director of Programmes.
This yearâs theme of the International Water Day as declared by the United Nations is âValuing Waterâ and in doing this CAPPA presented a publication titled Water and Covid-19: One Year After Damning Report Water Shortage Still Persists in Lagos. In the report, the organization as a follow-up to its early report in July last year at the peak of the pandemic, went around waterworks in Lagos to report on the state of the facilities.
According to the report, apart from the Alexander Waterworks in Ikoyi which serves the elites âevery other visited water infrastructure across the state is begging for attention. The dire water situation is already causing apprehension among Lagos residents who fear that beyond Covid-19, while sourcing for water from unwholesome sources they may be exposed to other diseases.â
It regrets that rather than face the issue of providing adequate and potable water for residents, the Lagos state government was busy looking for how to privatise the waterworks and thus further drive its availability away from the populace.
CAPPA wondered why the state government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the WaterAid, a non-governmental organization to âsupposedly build capacity in the water sectorâ while the details of such were not disclosed. It called on the state government to declare a state of emergency in the water sector and called on the house of assembly to hold an emergency session oh how to solve the water problem in the state.
The organization called on the state government to show seriousness in addressing the water challenge through integration of public participation in developing plan to achieve universal access to clean water.
Also, speaking at the launch of the report, veteran labour unionist Mr. Sylvester Ejiofor, lamented that rather than build on the success of old waterwork that was built in the state under colonial rule, succeeding governmentâs have failed to do anything concrete in that direction. He said digging of boreholes in neighbourhoods have become the norm thus leading to contaminated drinking water underground with the digging of septic tanks all over residential areas where these boreholes are dug.
Achike Chude of the Joint Action Front who spoke through zoom also spoke of the need for the civil society to âwake up the conscience and consciousnessâ of leaders to the dangers posed by privatizing the source of an importance life saving commodity like water.
