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Nigeria: The paradox of Lagos' water shortage

February 23, 2022

Lagos is surrounded by wetlands, lagoons and the sea. Despite this, accessible, safe and reliable water is scarce in Nigeria's biggest city. Demands for a better public water system are getting louder.

https://p.dw.com/p/477aM

Less than 5 km from the center of Nigeria's economic powerhouse, Lagos, lies the Araromi neighborhood. The houses here lack piped water. The community's 5,000 residents use untreated water from this well. Araromi resident Mary Chukwueze is dispirited about the living conditions here.

Mary wakes up every day at 5 a.m. to fetch water. Often it's crowded at the well. That regularly makes her late for work. Mary also has to share a latrine with 25 others. Lagos authorities say it isn't possible to hook Araromi up to the water grid. For resident Itoro Robert, it's a battle raising her two children in Araromi. Less than two out of five people in Lagos have access to potable drinking water.

Tobore Ovuorie
Tobore Ovuorie Tobore Ovuorie is a multiple award-winning Nigerian investigative journalist and creative writer.