Lagos slams rising sewage disposal into streets, drainage

The General Manager of the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office, Adefemi Afolabi, has raised concerns over the growing discharge of untreated sewage into streets and drainage by some residents across the state.

Afolabi spoke on Thursday at a stakeholders’ forum on wastewater and faecal sludge management, themed “Strengthening Partnerships for Sustainable Sewage and Wastewater Faecal Sludge Management in Lagos State”, held at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, Lekki.

According to him, the agency’s monitoring teams across its zonal offices have observed an “increasing and alarming rate” of environmental violations involving the improper disposal of sewage.

He said, “As an agency, we have zonal offices across the state, and we monitor the environment, especially violations. We have experienced that there’s an increasing and alarming rate of people discharging and disposing of untreated sewage into the environment.”

Afolabi revealed that some residents now use water-pumping machines to force faeces out of their septic tanks into nearby drains, often at night, to avoid paying for proper evacuation.

“We have even found out that there are people who insert a pumping machine that is supposed to pump water to pump faeces out of the septic tank.

“This is a violation of the Lagos environment. We will continue to implore residents to stop such acts and revert to closing septic tanks. All pipes that link to drainage should be removed.”

He further warned that the government would not hesitate to penalise offenders, noting that the practice was more common in areas such as Lekki, Lagos Island, Ajah, and Ibeju-Lekki.

He stated, “Some people use it at night to pump sewage out of the tank instead of calling on sewage trucks that will evacuate and take it to our treatment facilities. We will not take it lightly with anyone for this violation.

“There’s no day that we do not enforce at least two properties in the state for such acts.”

Afolabi explained that the forum was aimed at strengthening collaboration among stakeholders in the wastewater sector and promoting compliance with environmental laws.

“This forum is very significant for the agency and the state. We brought the sensitisation programme to the island so we can discuss with consultants, community members, and sewage operators. Sensitisation will be the first way to go before we start enforcement,” he said.

He added that proper wastewater management was crucial in preventing outbreaks such as last year’s cholera incident.

“We need to manage wastewater properly so that, in the event of cholera that happened last year, it will not be a recurring decimal,” Afolabi said.

The chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Environment Parastatals, Adebola Ishola, urged residents and organisations to support government efforts towards a cleaner ecosystem.

“When it comes to a cleaner and healthier environment, the Lagos State House of Assembly will definitely support this through legislation,” he assured.

Lagos recorded at least 401 cholera cases and 15 deaths last year, with Lagos Island identified as the epicentre of the outbreak.

In response, the state government has intensified its crackdown on violators of environmental laws, shutting down several facilities, including eateries and factories, for infractions.