Lagos Households Spend ₦45,000 Monthly As Water Crisis Worsens (Photos)

<blockquote><b>With the Lagos State Water Corporation supplying water to only 1.65 million residents, representing about 8.3 per cent of a population of over 20 million, millions of Lagos residents depend on private water vendors, popularly known as meruwa, for their daily water needs. PUNCH Healthwise investigation reveals that low-income households spend more than N45,000 monthly purchasing water from these vendors, amid rising living costs and unreliable electricity supply</b>. IDOWU ABDULLAHI reports<br><br>Before sunrise in Ogba, Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State, Mama Farida is already on Ajayi Road, waiting for meruwa (informal water vendors) to arrive.<br><br>After her early morning prayers, the mother of three begins another day of scrambling for water, an essential household necessity that costs her thousands of naira daily.<br><br>For the single mother, who sells food to support her three daughters aged 19, 16 and 14, getting water for cooking, bathing and washing clothes has become a costly daily struggle.<br><br><b>She buys two and a half carts of water daily for N3,500, and on weekends, when household demand increases, she buys more</b>.<br><br>But <b>the cost rises sharply when electricity supply is unavailable, with a cart selling for as much as N4,000, further straining her already stretched income.</b><br><br>“I buy two and a half trucks of water from the water vendor daily. That’s like 25 jerry cans a day, which costs N3,500. But on Saturdays, I buy more.<br><br>“<b>When there’s no light, a truck of water, which is just 10 jerry cans, costs up to N4,000. I sell food, and my children use water to bathe and wash their school uniform</b>. I have had to ensure my children manage the water,” the middle-aged woman told PUNCH Healthwise.<br><br>“Our focus is on strengthening infrastructure, improving operational performance and expanding access to reliable and sustainable water services for residents across the state. We welcome informed public scrutiny of our performance and value accurate, transparent reporting. Discussions about water supply in Lagos must be based on a clear understanding of how the network operates, what the available figures measure and the work required to close the gap between demand and supply,” the statement read.<br><br><b>Unavailability of potable water poses health risks</b><br><br>Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, a Consultant Public Health Physician at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State, Dr Mojirola Fasiku, explained that the unavailability of potable water exposes residents to preventable diseases.<br><br>She said that households forced to depend on untreated water sources could face increased risks of waterborne infections and other health complications.<br><br>Fasiku noted that contaminated water could transmit diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea, with children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups at greater risk.<br><br>The expert said inadequate access to clean water also undermines personal and environmental hygiene, as residents may struggle to maintain basic sanitation practices, including regular bathing, washing clothes, cleaning toilets and keeping their surroundings hygienic.<br><br>“If there is no water, individuals may not be able to take their baths, wash their clothes, clean their toilets, or wash their kitchen environments. These are situations that can actually lead to infections if people are unable to maintain proper hygiene in their bodies and surroundings. When people do not take their baths properly, some may develop fungal infections and other skin infections,” she said.<br><br>Fasiku also explained that complete dependence on water vendors like meruwa could also put users at risk.<br><br>“For people who buy water from vendors who push carts and use jerrycans, there are several concerns. First, even if they obtain the water from a good source, how clean are the containers (jerry cans)? They may not wash them for a long period, and that can contaminate the water. So, the source may be safe, but what about the container?<br><br>“Many of the jerry cans from these vendors may not be covered along the way. They may push the cart over long distances, exposing it to dust, dirt, and other things before delivering it to households. People then drink the water directly without knowing that it may be contaminated,” she said.<br><br>The public health experts stressed the importance of potable water provided by the government, adding that such treated water won’t expose the public to health risks.<br><br>“Access to potable water is a fundamental human right and a necessity for everyone in society. Water is necessary for drinking, food preparation, personal hygiene, sanitation and cleaning, including cleaning toilets.<br><br>“So, it should not be out of place for everyone in Lagos to have a municipal water supply so that residents can carry out their daily activities and have access to water that is not contaminated,” she said.<br><br><b>Stakeholders kick over planned borehole crackdown</b><br><br>Meanwhile, amid the final burden of water expense on vulnerable households already struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission recently disclosed a planned crackdown on illegal boreholes across the state.<br><br>The Executive Secretary of LASWARCO, Oluwabukola Adeyemo, in a statement, explained that drilling boreholes and extracting groundwater without government authorisation was illegal and could attract property sealing and criminal prosecution.<br><br>However, a coalition of stakeholders faulted the move, insisting that sealing residential boreholes would be met with coordinated action across all LGAs of the state.<br><br>The coalition of civil society organisations, community groups and trade unions, under the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition, threatened mass resistance if the government attempted to seal domestic boreholes.<br><br>They argued that residents should not be punished for seeking water amid inadequate public supply, adding that the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017 distinguishes between domestic water use and commercial extraction.<br><br>Citing Section 253(1), the coalition said the law allows residents to construct or extend wells and boreholes in residential premises without obtaining a licence where the water is intended for household domestic use. It also cited Section 259(2), which it said makes licensing compulsory for boreholes other than those meant for domestic use.<br><br>“A government that actively absolves itself of the constitutional duty to deliver water cannot legitimately turn around to criminalise and extort citizens who were forced to become their own mini-water authorities and service providers despite paying heavy taxes to the state,” the coalition said in a statement.<br><br>On October 31, 2026, PUNCH Healthwise reported that women in Opebi Valley, Ikeja, Lagos State, raised concerns over what they described as persistent water scarcity.<br><br>The women, who said many of them were displaced from their original land during a previous state-led eviction, stated that the lack of a reliable water supply had worsened their living conditions, affecting household incomes, health, safety, and livelihoods.<br><br>They raised their concerns during a community-building session organised by the Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development, under the auspices of the Africa Water Justice Network.<br><br>Meanwhile, efforts to get reactions on efforts being put in place to connect more Lagosians to potable water from the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and LWC proved abortive.<br><br>When PUNCH Healthwise contacted the ministry’s spokesperson, Mr. Kunle Adesina, he said that while LWC was under the ministry, the ministry only plays a supervisory role.<br><br>“What the ministry does is just oversight. LWC is in the best position to give data and other relevant information concerning water supply in Lagos,” Adesina said.<br><br>Also, the Head of Corporate Affairs at the LWC, Kehinde Fashola, urged our correspondent to visit the corporation office for information or an interview.<br><br>“I’m not authorised to divulge any information or grant an interview via the phone. If you want any information, come to our office for credible, verified information,” she said.</blockquote><a rel=ugc href="https://healthwise.punchng.com/lagos-households-spend-n45000-monthly-as-water-crisis-worsens/">https://healthwise.punchng.com/lagos-households-spend-n45000-monthly-as-water-crisis-worsens/</a>