Public Feedback on State of Domestic Water Supply in Lagos: Implications for Public Health

Omole, D. O. and Ndambuki, J.M. and Badejo, A.A and Oyewo, D.O. and Soyemi, T.O. (2016) Public Feedback on State of Domestic Water Supply in Lagos: Implications for Public Health. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 15 (2). pp. 245-253. ISSN 0972-5938

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Abstract

Traditional beliefs and public perceptions have direct impact on water use in any community. Furthermore, public feedback has been recognized as a necessary input for integrated water resources management. Thus, public feedback regarding the state of water supply in Lagos state was harvested using stratified sampling technique, while data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Lagos is a mega-city with annual growth rate of 5% and 21 million residents. Results show that majority of the residents believe water services should be free, and behave as such. Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) supplies 210 million gallons of water/day to the city but loses 60-83% of its production to vandalism, illegal connections and ageing infrastructure. The resultant effect is that 34% of the residents are reached with water, while 64 % use groundwater as an alternative. In Lagos Island, where water table ranges from 3-7 m, septic tanks are sited indiscriminately and saltwater intrusion is frequently reported. Thus, groundwater pollution is rife and public health is constantly at risk. Using proven examples, the paper demonstrated how repositioning LWC for sustainable production and distribution of water in Lagos could provide the cheapest, cleanest, and quickest alternative for making water available to all residents.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Divisions:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	Dr D.O. OMOLE
Date Deposited:	13 Apr 2016 13:31
Last Modified:	13 Apr 2016 13:31
URI:	http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/id/eprint/6545

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