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Currents of Inequality: Studies in Environmental Injustice

Factors that Effect Lagos Water Crisis


Boreholes

There is an increasing gap between water demand and supply in Lagos, and as this gap widens more residents will struggle to access water. Wealthy citizens stopped relying on the government for water and started drilling boreholes. Boreholes are dug to access water deep in the ground, which can then be transformed into private water supplies. Boreholes are being dug excessively by elite groups, which takes away the finite amount of drinkable water from the rest of the public. People who drill boreholes began selling water from their private supply using citizens who call themselves “water sellers”.  Many Lagos citizens buy water from these water sellers, which causes water to be seen as a material good rather than a necessity. Citizens who dig boreholes take away from the limited supply of clean water available, but the government does not regulate or tax citizens for doing so. 


 

Insufficient Funds

As previously stated, Africa is the poorest continent in the world. This statistic does not only apply to the citizens, but the government as well. As the population continues to grow, the government will need a larger budget to maintain existing infrastructures. This has become a major issue for the government because they do not have sufficient funds or resources to be able to repair the waterworks that are put in place. Despite the insufficient funds, the government has yet to put regulations in place for drilling boreholes. Not only do boreholes allow wealthier citizens to take advantage of the clean water supply, but without taxation from the government, the amount of drinkable water will decrease while the government budget stays the same. This makes the water scarcity crisis even more prevalent, especially in lower-income areas. Major corporations located in Lagos also have access to the clean water supply. These corporations use excessive amounts of water, but are also not being taxed by the Lagos government.

“There should be clear boundaries between corporations’ profit motives and the protection of the right to clean water. To ensure this, the government has to impose taxes on corporation profits that stem from the excess consumption of water for their lucrative operations. That would be a way to make them pay proportionate to their consumptions and profits” (Oluwafemi, 2018).

Oluwafemi’s statement urges the government to regulate the use of clean water to help resolve Lagos’ financial crisis. If the government does not implement regulations or taxation on these corporations, the water supply and demand gap will increase, and more citizens will not be able to access clean water. If the government truly does have an insufficient amount of funds, then taxing borehole users and corporations that use large amounts of water will increase their budget to be able to repair the leakages in the waterworks.

 

Water Pollution

Lagos is surrounded by multiple bodies of water, so it is almost paradoxical that the city is suffering from a water shortage. Unfortunately, the water surrounding Lagos is extremely polluted and contaminated with heavy metal sediments, making it undrinkable. Lower-income populations in Lagos are forced to use the polluted water, unless clean water is picked up from a far away location, which can take days to locate. Water Borne diseases are spreading at an all-time high in the Lagos population, such as cholera and typhoid, especially in low-income areas where only contaminated water is available. Polluted water is not only unsafe to drink, but also unsustainable for fish habitats. The surviving fish found in these contaminated bodies of water have extremely high levels of heavy metals, which makes the fish also unsafe for consumption. Fish habitats are being destroyed and communities are getting sick all due to the amount of polluted water. If fish habitats are slowly being wiped out, there will be even less resources for citizens, which in turn will cause more residents to die of starvation and disease. Lagos has yet to implement an effective waste management system, so all waste is being dumped into the surrounding water. It is imperative that the government promotes environmental-friendly policies rather than focusing on making a profit and saving money. Lagos will become inhabitable if the government does not prioritize sanitation immediately.

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