Monday, March 27, 2023
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The News Beam
  • Home
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business & Economy
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Global
  • Development
    • Health
    • Education
    • MGDs
    • Development Agencies
  • Your Community
    • CDAs
    • LGAs
    • Projects
    • Community Champions
  • The Entrepreneur
    • Street Money
    • SMEs
    • Youthprenuers
    • Agriprenuers
    • Capacity Building
  • Specials
    • Lifestyle
    • Relationships
    • Books & Arts
    • Faith
    • Teens World
    • Guest Columnists
The News Beam
  • Home
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business & Economy
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Global
  • Development
    • Health
    • Education
    • MGDs
    • Development Agencies
  • Your Community
    • CDAs
    • LGAs
    • Projects
    • Community Champions
  • The Entrepreneur
    • Street Money
    • SMEs
    • Youthprenuers
    • Agriprenuers
    • Capacity Building
  • Specials
    • Lifestyle
    • Relationships
    • Books & Arts
    • Faith
    • Teens World
    • Guest Columnists
No Result
View All Result
The News Beam
Home News

How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience

October 24, 2020
in News, CDAs, Health, Your Community
Reading Time: 8 mins read
0
A A
0
Water vendors: Local  solutions to water scarcity

Water vendors: Local solutions to water scarcity

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

BY: Ayomide Arowobusoye

Water scarcity in community since 2018

Water scarcity in Lagos State is a daily problem for many families in the megacity that is residence to over 20 million people. Yet the importance of water in the lives of man cannot be overemphasized.

This point was well-driven home by Fela Kuti, the legendary Nigerian afrobeat pioneer, through his famous song “water no get enemy” (literal translation: water has no enemy).

It becomes perplexing, to say the least, that some parts of a ‘megacity’ like Lagos, the commercial heartbeat of the country, will still be facing the challenge of acute water scarcity in 2020. The Aloba community in Ebute Metta (West), Lagos Mainland Local Council of Lagos State falls under these unfortunate parts. 

  • How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience
  • How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience

The community, which is about 2 minutes work from the popular Costain bus stop and less than 30 minutes’ drive from the popular Oyingbo market, is one of the parts of Lajos where access to formal clean water is abysmally low. We, simply, cannot imagine a life without water. Man cannot lead his day-to-day life without water, as it is necessary not only for drinking but for many other purposes like bathing, cooking, cleaning, washing etc.

It is for these reasons and more that the majority of residents and business owners of the community have taken the destiny of water provision into their own hands. Thus, have to rely on the informal sector comprised of wells, boreholes, water vendors, and rainwater to survive. 

How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience

Genesis of Problem

The challenge of water scarcity in Lagos (Aloba community) started in late 2018. It could be traced to a multiplicity of factors. Majorly, fracture from dilapidated transmission pipes and bad trunk lines inhabits the flow of water into households. It was gathered that this complaint has been made to the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC), however, only promises have been made and no actions taken. This as in turn led to the non-compliance of community members with the corporation.  

Another is the poor state of drainage system.

How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: “Farmers, residents in these areas should prepare for flood disaster” – Ogun State Govt.

How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience
Water Scarcity In Lagos

A resident in the community, Abosede, emphatically stated, amidst laughter that she went to the Iponri branch of the corporation to demand that her compound’s water be disconnected. 

‘It is not like the water, is available for us to use, still at the end of the month, they come with crazy bills, can you pay for what you didn’t buy?’, she said.

Effects of the challenge

The acute water scarcity in Lagos, particularly in the Aloba community has, no doubt, negatively affected members of the community in several ways. Residents and business owners lament that the lack of constant public water supply affects the satisfaction of their domestic needs, and has pushed them to rely solely on informal sectors (that are not entirely safe for proper wellbeing) for water provision. 

How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience

A resident of the community, who pleads anonymity, stated that she spends an average of N800 per day buying water from water vendors for the sum of N80 per keg. 

Confirming this, another resident, Ayodeji, explained the harsh conditions herself and her family members are exposed to by getting water from these informal sectors. 

‘We don’t have water at all, all we do is to buy water from Meruwa (water vendors). When there is light, a truck of water can be gotten for N300 to N400, and when there is no light, we buy a truck for N700 or N800. And for a household with many children, they will have to purchase 6 to 7 trucks in a week’. 

The civil servant, added that the situation got better during the rainy season, however, this solution is still not comfortable enough. ‘When the rain started to fall, we began to collect rainwater for usage, however, when this water is used to bathe, it caused different skin infections and skin rashes for my children’. 

She went further to state that even during the period of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, she kept exposing the life of her family members to danger by patronizing the water vendors.

‘The worst part was during the period of the lockdown and virus; I had no other option but to buy from these water vendors because we can’t do without using water. Even though I knew that I was exposing my family to different risks since I don’t know where the water vendors have been too and what they have in their body.’

A popular Pepper soup joint owner, who simply identified herself as Aunty Amaka, stressed that she almost suffered a setback in her business when the water supply challenge started. “It affected my business and almost made me make losses because I had to spend an extra amount of money, I never planned on buying water and so my expenses increased. I spend nothing less than N1200 on water daily because I run a food business and it cannot run smoothly when water is not available. I usually place the burden on my customers by increasing prices of my food but then I realized I was losing customers and had to stop’. 

Proprietor of a fast-growing school in the community; Star nursery and primary school, and a new resident, Segun Olugbenga, also said ‘coming over to this environment, lack of water was a major challenge. We had to buy water, fetch from other compounds, and go in search of water. Along the line, we started a school and it became a bigger challenge because we can’t manage water with children; water must flow, we ended up spending at least N1000 on water from all these water boys’.    

THE WAY FORWARD

   Since 2018, that this challenge started the members of the community have made various attempts to find a lasting solution to it. However, most of these efforts have been fruitless. 

Mr. Isiaka Sikiru, an Ex-officio of Aloba’s Community Development Associations (CDA), in his part, stressed that he has lost all hope whatsoever in the local government council. 

‘When we could not get access to a solution by the government, the Community Development Associations took it upon ourselves to create boreholes. We were tired of wasting money on buying water and could not bear seeing our children walk long distances and get up at early hours to go in search of water, so we started making moves’.

Isiaka, popularly known as Alfa in the community, however, added that they could not go far with their plans as there was not a free passage of water in the pipes in the drainage systems and so if any attempt were made to dig boreholes, it might cause erosion. Therefore, they wait for the assistance of the government that, however, seems to be turning deaf ears.  

How families battle Water Scarcity in Lagos State: The Aloba Community Experience

Highlighting some of the steps that have been taken, Otunba Baale of the community, Chief Tunji Alabede, was quick to respond that ‘letters have been written to the local government on several occasions, there hasn’t been any significant change. We have also written Hon. Jide Jomoh, our constituent’s representative, and still await his help’. 

Alabede explained that the closet help they have gotten from the government was having representatives of the local government inspect the community. He added that after this inspection, they were informed that for there to be boreholes, some construction had to be done on the road. They, however, stated that this construction can only be carried out by the state government has they were state property. 

In response to this, Mr. Nurudeen Musa, an Officer at the Information Department of Lagos Mainland Local Council of Lagos State said, ‘development is a process, it is not what can be done at once. The local government has been trying to answer to the needs of as many communities as possible’. Nurudeen, mentioned some streets within different communities that have already been worked upon, including Lagos street, Jebba. street, and Glover street. The Level 9 officer, also added that the coronavirus pandemic is one of the reasons constructions have been paused.

Attesting too, Mr. Lawal of the department of Works, Lagos Mainland Local Council of Lagos State said ‘councilors have embarked on legislative projects in their constituencies, especially the maintenance of the existing ones and provisions of new ones’. He further explained that Boreholes have been provided in certain communities (like Opeoluwa-Jebba, Ibadan, etc.), and so soon enough it will go round.      

What is the most pressing challenge confronting your community? Write to us and we will investigate and publish the story (Contact us on info@thenewsbeam.com)

Tags: CostainOuingboWater
ShareTweetSend
Previous Post

5 Health Benefits of Eating Rice You Don’t Know About

Next Post

Amazing Fun Facts About The Water You Drink

Related Posts

Politics

Guber Elections: Tech leaders launch Collate, a live-result viewing platform

March 16, 2023
69
Business & Economy

Bread and Cereal push Nigeria’s inflation rate to 21.91% in February

March 15, 2023
21
Business & Economy

CBN bows to Supreme Court, says old N200, N500, N1000 remain legal tender

March 13, 2023
52
Business & Economy

Naira scarcity: Nigerians use PoS for 113.5 million transactions in February 

March 13, 2023
13
Business & Economy

Naira Scarcity: Buhari says CBN has no reason not to comply with Supreme Court Judgement on old N500, N1000

March 13, 2023
67
Politics

2023 Elections: UK  threatens  visa ban against  electoral violence perpetrators

February 21, 2023
33
Next Post
Amazing Fun Facts About The Water You Drink

Amazing Fun Facts About The Water You Drink

Curfew Update: Public, Private Schools Remain Shut in Lagos

Curfew Update: Public, Private Schools Remain Shut in Lagos

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
How to Apply for the N25 Billion Youth Investment Fund of the Federal Govt

How to Apply for the N25 Billion Youth Investment Fund of the Federal Govt

October 16, 2020
Covid-19: See List of Vaccination Centers in Lagos State

Covid-19: See List of Vaccination Centers in Lagos State

August 19, 2021
Banks suffer 11% reduction in new loans as customers resist interest rate hike

CBN reveals 9 Business Categories that recorded Increased Activity This Month

9
BREAKING ! How Hurriedly installed Application Saved Central Bank of Nigeria website from 'Anonymous' hack

BREAKING ! How Hurriedly installed Application Saved Central Bank of Nigeria website from ‘Anonymous’ hack

7

Guber Elections: Tech leaders launch Collate, a live-result viewing platform

March 16, 2023

Bread and Cereal push Nigeria’s inflation rate to 21.91% in February

March 15, 2023

Categories

  • Agriprenuers (12)
  • Books & Arts (7)
  • Business & Economy (442)
  • Capacity Building (25)
  • CDAs (2)
  • Community Champions (1)
  • Crime (196)
  • DEVELOPMENT (74)
  • Development Agencies (109)
  • Economy (319)
  • Education (193)
  • Entertainment (405)
  • Faith (55)
  • Finance (342)
  • Global (103)
  • Guest Columnists (17)
  • Health (56)
  • Health (242)
  • Industry (149)
  • LGAs (1)
  • Lifestyle (98)
  • MGDs (10)
  • News (2,305)
  • Politics (376)
  • Projects (2)
  • Relationships (70)
  • Security (164)
  • SMEs (15)
  • SPECIALS (88)
  • Sports (311)
  • Street Money (9)
  • Tech (138)
  • Teens World (3)
  • The Entrepreneur (26)
  • Uncategorized (74)
  • Your Community (33)
  • Youthprenuers (14)
No Result
View All Result
News
Politics
Business & Economy
Sports
Entertainment
Global

Development

Health
Education
MGDs
Development Agencies

Your Community

CDAs
LGAs
Projects
Community Champions

The Entrepreneur

Street Money
SMEs
Youthprenuers
Agriprenuers
Capacity Building

Specials

Lifestyle
Relationships
Books & Arts
Faith
Teens World
Guest Columnists

Follow Us

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Usage
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advert Rates
  • Newsletters
  • Resources
  • Submit a Story
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business & Economy
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Global
  • Development
    • Health
    • Education
    • MGDs
    • Development Agencies
  • Your Community
    • CDAs
    • LGAs
    • Projects
    • Community Champions
  • The Entrepreneur
    • Street Money
    • SMEs
    • Youthprenuers
    • Agriprenuers
    • Capacity Building
  • Specials
    • Lifestyle
    • Relationships
    • Books & Arts
    • Faith
    • Teens World
    • Guest Columnists
  • Login

© 2020 The News Beam is the highest circulated and most read newspaper in Nigeria. The online portal of The News Beam is the most visited website in the world.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

Subscribe With The News Beam