Only 10% of the city have a piped water supply that has been treated and purified
● Rest of population rely on water vendors/dig wells or sink boreholes to reach groundwater
○ Water in lagoon is not suitable for drinking → salty and polluted
● In 2012 → Lagos State Railway Commission started to regulate water supply/water vendors
○ They made licenses for boreholes
○ Ensures a safe water supply at a reasonable price for customers
Water supply around Lagos:
● Water treatment plant
○ They extract river water
○ Is piped around the city
○ Only to 10% of Lagos’ population
● Open drains
○ Carry surface rainwater into rivers and the lagoon
○ Surface water is often contaminated by sewage
● Wells/boreholes
○ Residents dig wells or sink boreholes to obtain groundwater from below the water table
○ This can also be contaminated by sewage
■ Very near to septic tanks
● Groundwater
○ Groundwater around the lagoon can be contaminated with salt water → unsuitable for drinking
Problem will increase along with the rising sea level
How pollution affects Lagos’ water supply:
● Drinking water in Lagos after contains bacterial/chemical pollution
○ Lead to diseases ( eg/ cholera, dysentery)
● Main cause of pollution → lack of proper sewage system
○ Sewage is often disposed of with rainwater through open drains
■ Is then carried into rivers and pollutes the whole system
○ Sewage soaks into the ground from pit latrines/leaking septic tanks
■ Enters wells/boreholes and contaminates the water
Rising sea level is a threat to Lagos:
● Lagos lies less than 2 meters above sea level → it is a coastal city , making it vulnerable to the sea
● Increase in flooding → caused by intense tropical rain
○ Groundwater would become contaminated with salt
● Flat, low-lying land is quick to flood, but slow to drain
● Rapid urbanisation → most of the land is covered with buildings, concrete and squatter settlements
○ All built without proper drainage