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Lagos water crisis: Residents rely on boreholes as public supply falls far short of demand – EnviroNews
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Residents of several Lagos communities have lamented their continued reliance on boreholes, wells and water vendors as public water supply falls short of the state’s estimated demand, in spite of government alleged investments and interventions.
Residents of Mafoluku, Oshodi, Ikorodu, Ajao Estate and Ikosi said unreliable public water supply had forced them to seek alternatives.
Mrs. Calista, a resident of Church Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, said she had lived in the area for nearly 40 years without reliable public water supply.
She said her household depended on boreholes and water vendors to meet its daily water needs.
“It is shameful that a big city like Lagos cannot provide water for its residents,” she said.
Calista said residents paid N100 for a keg of borehole water but spent N250 or more buying from vendors during prolonged power outages.
According to her, electricity interruptions often disrupted borehole operations, leaving residents with little choice but to buy water at higher prices.
Similarly, Mr. Larry Owolabi, a resident of Ikorodu, said his household depended on a compound well that often produced insufficient water during the dry season.
“Water and light are the basic things needed in a house for comfort, but I have never enjoyed that comfort in Lagos,” he said.
Owolabi appealed to the government to provide reliable public water supply and improve residents’ living conditions.
In Ajao Estate, Ms. Abosede Ayola said she was born in Lagos but had never seen government water connected to homes in her community.
She said residents depended on public boreholes, where they paid to fetch water for domestic use.
“Life will be easier and beautiful if we can get water from the state water corporation,” she said.
Another resident, Mrs. Favour Anyanwu, who has lived in Ajao Estate for more than 15 years, said her household spent N4,000 every two weeks on sachet water.
She said residents also contributed monthly towards electricity costs to power boreholes supplying water to their flats.
“I have lived in this area for over 15 years and I have never seen any public water,” she said.
Anyanwu lamented that residents continued to spend money on basic amenities that should be provided by the government.
“The country is not smiling and one is still budgeting for basic amenities that should be provided by the government,” she said.
Mr. Obumneme Ezeokoli, who lives in the Ikosi axis, said the government’s public water supply stopped working in his area since 2013 without any explanation.
Ezeokoli said he now depends on water vendors and boreholes for his daily water needs.
The residents’ experiences highlight the financial burden households face when public water supply is unavailable or unreliable.
The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) had in a recent interview admitted producing an average of 7.21 million gallons daily in 2025, against the state’s estimated demand of 540 million gallons daily.
The shortfall has raised concerns about the impact of government spending and development-partner interventions on access to safe, reliable and affordable water.
The LWC’s 2025 production records showed annual output of approximately 2,633.22 million gallons, equivalent to an average of 7.21 million gallons daily.
The corporation’s installed production capacity is approximately 210 million gallons daily, compared with estimated demand of 540 million gallons across Lagos.
In 2025, the Lagos State Government allocated approximately N37.49 billion to two major water infrastructure programmes.
The programmes comprised N16.86 billion for improving 15 existing mini and micro waterworks and N20.62 billion for Adiyan Phase II waterworks.
Adiyan Phase II is designed to add 70 million gallons daily to the state’s water production capacity.
For 2026, the state budget provided N4.92 billion for improving existing mini and micro waterworks and N26.02 billion for Adiyan Phase II.
The first-quarter 2026 budget implementation report recorded approximately N1.03 billion in expenditure on mini and micro waterworks, representing 21 per cent of the programme’s annual allocation.
By June 30, cumulative expenditure on the programme had reached approximately N1.78 billion, representing 36.2 per cent of its annual allocation.
The second-quarter 2026 budget implementation report also recorded approximately N1.04 billion in expenditure on Adiyan Phase II, representing four per cent of its annual allocation.
The expenditure figures reflect amounts recorded against the projects’ budgets but do not establish their completion status or additional water supplied.
In an earlier interview, LWC stated that its network served 34,424 registered households, representing an estimated 1.03 per cent of Lagos’ population of 20 million.
The corporation’s Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs and Brand Management, Mr. Rasaq Anifowoshe, disclosed this in an exclusive interview.
Anifowoshe said the figure was based on an estimated average household size of six persons.
“Using an estimated average household size of six persons, the number of residents associated with these connections is 206,444, an equivalent to approximately 1.03 per cent of the state’s estimated population of 20 million,” he said.
He also disclosed that the corporation had an installed water production capacity of approximately 210 million gallons daily.
The LWC later clarified that its 34,424 registered connections were plot-based, with each connection potentially serving multiple households.
The corporation estimated that the connections served approximately 1.65 million residents, representing about 8.3 per cent of Lagos’ estimated population of more than 20 million.
The LWC in the revised coverage estimate, however, acknowledged that its production remained far below the installed capacity of its facilities, attributing the shortfall to diverse challenges.
“Lagos State’s installed water production capacity has the potential to serve a substantially larger proportion of the population.
“However, ageing infrastructure, power supply constraints and ongoing rehabilitation works continue to affect operational performance and the reliability of supply in some areas.
“We acknowledge that significant challenges remain in meeting the growing demand for water across Lagos State. Population growth and urban expansion require sustained investment in water production facilities, distribution infrastructure, operational efficiency and long-term planning.
“Our focus is on strengthening infrastructure, improving operational performance and expanding access to reliable and sustainable water services for residents across the state,” said the statement.
However, the estimate does not establish whether everyone counts receives continuous and reliable water supply.
Beyond government funding, WaterAid Nigeria has partnered the LWC to rehabilitate water infrastructure and improve access to potable water in underserved communities.
According to WaterAid, its partnership with the corporation on urban water supply began in 2023 with the rehabilitation of the Akilo water scheme in Ifako-Ijaiye.
The project, undertaken with Armani Beauty’s Aqua for Life initiative, was designed to provide safe water access to about 100,000 residents through household connections and water kiosks.
The Akilo facility was recommissioned in December 2025 following rehabilitation works involving boreholes, electromechanical equipment and distribution infrastructure.
The partnership has since expanded to the Ojokoro waterworks rehabilitation project under the TeamWater Nigeria initiative.
In March 2026, WaterAid Nigeria and the Lagos State Government unveiled a five-year, 2.5-million-dollar project to rehabilitate the Ojokoro waterworks and expand the Iju-Adiyan pipeline network.
The project is expected to improve access to potable water in Ojokoro and surrounding communities.
On Sept. 4, the LWC signed a contract with Bayroyal International Ltd. for the rehabilitation of the Ojokoro Mini Waterworks.
The project includes civil, mechanical and electrical upgrades, borehole rehabilitation, solar integration, pressure monitoring, leakage detection, metering and distribution network expansion.
WaterAid said the interventions were intended to improve the reliability and sustainability of urban water supply.
However, the partnerships have attracted criticism from civil society organisations over the proposed involvement of private operators in managing public water facilities.
Mr. Philip Jakpor, Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, said that privatisation would not resolve Lagos’ water challenges.
He argued that the approach could prioritise profits over residents’ right to water and expose the state to unfavourable contractual obligations and debts.
Jakpor said opening the water sector to profit-driven entities had not translated into improved access to clean and uninterrupted water supply.
He urged the government to reconsider its approach and explore alternatives that prioritised public welfare, operational efficiency and reliable service delivery.
Jakpor proposed the Public-Public Partnership model, through which public water utilities shared technical expertise, operational experience and institutional knowledge to improve water supply.
He said the model had been tested in some parts of the world, where successful public utilities supported others in improving their operations.
Jakpor maintained that the government should strengthen the efficiency and capacity of public water utilities rather than place profit considerations at the centre of water management.
For Calista, Owolabi, Ayola, Anyanwu and Ezeokoli, the challenge remains securing enough water for their households without stretching their already limited budgets.
Their experiences underscore the need to translate public investments and rehabilitation projects into reliable water supply that reaches residents’ homes.
By Uchechi Afonne and Fabian Ekeruche