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Lagos State government has stated that 1.92 billion litres of untreated domestic waste water being generated daily across all the local government areas poses danger to healthy living of the residents.
This was disclosed by the Assistant Director, Scientific and Head of the Watewater Education unit, Mrs Sesi Akoro-Bamigbade, during a live radio programme on Traffic Radio 96.1 FM on Wednesday.
Mrs Akoro-Bamigbade while enjoining the residents to stop the bad attitude of channeling their untreated wastewater into the public drains said they are meant for stormwater as against the unhealthy practice of channeling untreated wastewater which will have adverse impact on the environment and humans.
She explained that Lagos State with a population of over 20 million, currently generates an estimated 1.92 billion litres of untreated domestic wastewater into the environment on a daily basis. This she said was based on a 120 litres water use per person per day (source LWC) (120 x 20000000 = 2,400,000,000 and 80% of water used everyday ends up as wastewater.
According to her, “when such quantum of untreated wastewater is badly managed in the form of disposal, channeling into the drainage systems across the state, some which will percolate into the underground water will affect the quality of our potable water source and some to the surface water body affecting the aquatic lives.”
She reiteratesd that Wastewater has come to stay because our day-to-day activities depends on water and so there is need to effectively treat our Wastewater to mitigate the environmental hazards.
Mrs Akoro-Bamigbade added that aside from the danger of contaminating the water bodies, the unwholesome practice also contributes to flooding in the state, because the drainage channels that were designed to take stormwater into the surface waters are usually filled with untreated wastewater that were channeled directly from the individual homes inversely resulting into flood in the state during raining season because water will always find its’ level.
She also stated that in line with mandate of the office and the need for sustainable environment as captured in the T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda of the state, any facility with 50-inhabitants/usage is expected to have a Wastewater Treatment Plant.
She, therefore, enjoined all stakeholders in the built industry to ensure compliance when constructing. In the same vein she equally sorts for sustainable partnership with other MDAs to ensure any facility within the category seeking approval gets clearance of the Office before approval is granted.
She, also warned Lagosians to be wary of those marketing bio-digester wastewater management system. She said that the office is not averse to the development of local technologies and innovations in the sector, but the need to protect the environment cannot be compromised.
That of the multitude of numbers of the so-called innovators, only two (3) had submitted their technology to the office for evaluation and had been collaborating with the Office Research and Development Technical team to achieve the desired result. She therefore urges all to seek clarification from the Office before embarking on construction of wastewater facility to avoid not to be on the wrong side of the law.
While pleading for media support/partnership in sensitizing Lagosians about the danger of the badly managed wastewater and disposal, she urged member of the public not to hesitate to report anyone/facility, be it private, corporate, public or religious facility seeing diverting their wastewater into the drain to the office at N0.1A, Obasa Close, off Oba Akran-Avenue, Ikeja.
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