Lagos water crisis: Company supplies only 1% of residents, produces 3% of capacity

Toyyibat Qasim

The Lagos State Water Corporation serves just 1.03% of the state’s estimated 20 million residents, while its actual daily water production amounts to just 3% of its installed capacity, an official has revealed.

The revelation has raised new concerns about access to clean water in Nigeria’s commercial capital, where thousands of families depend on water vendors, private wells and community-supported facilities to meet their daily needs.

The Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs and Brand Management, Lagos Water Corporation, Rasaq Anifowoshe, revealed the figures in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos while answering questions on the company’s coverage and expansion plans.

According to him, the company’s water network currently serves 34,424 registered households, representing approximately 206,444 residents based on an average household size of six.

The figure corresponds to approximately 1.03% of Lagos State’s estimated population of 20 million.

Anifowoshe also disclosed that the company had an installed production capacity of about 210 million gallons per day, compared to the state’s estimated daily water demand of 540 million gallons.

However, an analysis of 2025 production data showed that the company produced approximately 2,633.22 million gallons throughout the year, which translates to an average of 7.21 million gallons per day.

He said actual daily production represents only 3% of the company’s installed capacity.

The data highlights a substantial gap between the state’s water demand, the company’s production capacity and the volume of water actually produced for public consumption.

The residents are the ones who pay the price

The deficit has led many Lagos residents to spend large sums on alternative water sources, with some families paying tens of thousands of naira a month despite living in a state with an extensive network of water infrastructure.

Residents interviewed by NAN in Iponri, Oworonshoki, Costain, Apapa Road and Ebute Metta recounted their experiences with unreliable public supply, abandoned structures, broken pipes and inadequate water pressure.

At Iponri Housing Estate, Adebayo Solomon said his family spent about N1,500 a day on water supplied by vendors, totaling N45,000 a month.

If sustained throughout the year, he said the expenditure would reach about N547,500.

Solomon said electricity shortages sometimes disrupt water availability, forcing his family to manage stored supplies or pay higher prices for alternative sources.

He said he would welcome a connection to the Lagos Water Corporation network if it ensured regular supply and reduced his family’s dependence on vendors.

Another resident of the estate, Abdulkareem Ibrahim, said he depended on public wells provided by philanthropists because his community did not receive water from the company.

Ibrahim said he would fetch water in the morning or after returning from work in the evening, adding that electricity cuts sometimes cut off wells and forced residents to buy water from vendors.

While community-supported facilities have helped him avoid regular water bills, he said residents continue to depend on the goodwill of their benefactors.

In Oworonshoki, Amanda Ogbodo said she spent between N2,200 and N3,600 weekly on borehole water delivered by vendors, which translates to between N8,800 and N14,400 in four weeks.

He revealed that the company’s water supply had become more consistent in some parts of his neighborhood over the past four months, particularly from Friday afternoon to Saturday.

However, residents living on higher ground continued to experience poor supply due to inadequate water pressure.

Ogbodo recalled that his business premises previously received public water, with eight or nine users contributing 10,000 naira monthly towards the service.

He said the supply was interrupted for about four years after a main burst, adding that while the water returned intermittently in 2025, it had only recently become more consistent.

He appealed to the government to repair the network and restore regular supply to the community.

Broken pipes, abandoned plants

The situation is equally troubling in other parts of the state, where residents say failing public facilities have forced them to rely on private water sources for years.

At Costain, Eniola Adewale said a truckload of water costs between N1,200 and N1,500, with sellers sometimes doubling their prices during shortages.

He explained that his family relied on street vendors because the public water system was distant and supplied water irregularly.

Adewale also expressed concern over the quality of water supplied by the seller, saying he preferred sachet water for cooking because he did not know the source of the water delivered to his home.

Eunice David, a food vendor in Thomas Street, Costain, said she had been spending large monthly sums pumping water for domestic use because a public facility that previously served the community had long been out of service.

He appealed to the government to intervene and restore affordable and reliable public water supply.

On Opeoluwa Street, Apapa Road, Garuba Alasan said the public water system serving his area has not been functional for about 20 years.

Alasan, who said he has lived in the area for about 30 years, revealed that he has relied on private water sources for the past two decades.

At Vaughan Street, Costain, Anthony Olamide, an outlet operator, said residents already had a connection to the Lagos Water Corporation, but the supply was largely dependent on electricity.

According to him, residents contributed 1,000 naira monthly to the water service, helping to reduce expenditure on alternative sources whenever public water was available.

However, power outages frequently disrupted supplies, forcing families to purchase water from vendors.

At Olaogun Street, Abule-Nla Junction, Ebute Metta, Esther Emokpaire said her family spent between N1,000 and N1,500 per truckload of water supplied by the vendor, usually purchasing water every two days.

He said prices fluctuated depending on availability, adding that although sellers claimed the water was clean and treated, his family had not independently verified its quality.

Emokpaire also recounted an incident where members of his family developed skin rashes after bathing with water purchased from vendors.

Residents’ accounts highlight the financial burden of unreliable public water supplies, as well as concerns about the quality, affordability and accessibility of alternative sources.

Budget spending raises questions

Amid persistent challenges, the Lagos State Government’s Second Quarter 2026 Budget Implementation Report showed that 36.2% of the approved annual budget for the improvement of 15 existing mini and micro aqueducts had been spent as of June 30.

The report also recorded an expenditure equivalent to 4% of the approved annual budget for the Adiyan Aqueduct Phase II project.

However, the spending figures do not establish the physical completion status of the projects or indicate how much additional water they currently provide to residents.

The figures therefore leave questions about the extent to which investments have translated into improved water production, expanded distribution networks and reliable domestic connections.

LWC unveils expansion plans

Addressing concerns over limited coverage, Anifowoshe identified aging distribution pipelines, increasing demand driven by population growth and rapid urbanization, and the need to rehabilitate and expand existing infrastructure as major constraints affecting the company’s operations.

He said the company is planning to rehabilitate and upgrade its micro and mini water treatment plants, a move that is expected to significantly expand access to drinking water.

According to him, the intervention would make water accessible to more than 5.6 million families after complete rehabilitation.

The company also plans to extend its distribution network to reach more residents and improve access to public water supplies.

Other proposed interventions include the rehabilitation of the Ojokoro Mini Aqueduct and the construction of the Lagos Island Micro Aqueduct.

Anifowoshe also revealed plans to digitize the distribution network to enable digital monitoring and remote management of underground pipelines and other water infrastructure.

He said the initiative would help reduce water losses and non-revenue generated water.

The company is also planning to build the 100 million gallon per day Igbonla Water Treatment Plant to increase supply along the Lekki-Epe corridor.

According to Anifowoshe, the project is expected to increase production capacity and help meet the growing demand for water in the corridor.

However, the scale of the challenges highlighted by the company’s production data suggests that expanding installed capacity alone may not be sufficient without addressing infrastructure and operational issues that limit actual production.

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