Lagos Water Crisis: Corporation Supplies Just 1% Of Residents, Produces 3% Of Capacity

Toyyibat Qasim

The Lagos State Water Corporation serves only 1.03 per cent of the state’s estimated 20 million residents, while its actual daily water production stands at just three per cent of its installed capacity, an official has disclosed.

The revelation has raised fresh concerns about access to potable water in Nigeria’s commercial capital, where thousands of households depend on water vendors, private boreholes and community-supported facilities to meet their daily needs.

The Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs and Brand Management of the Lagos Water Corporation, Rasaq Anifowoshe, disclosed the figures in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos while responding to questions about the corporation’s coverage and expansion plans.

According to him, the corporation’s water network currently serves 34,424 registered households, representing an estimated 206,444 residents based on an average household size of six persons.

The figure translates to approximately 1.03 per cent of Lagos State’s estimated population of 20 million.

Anifowoshe also disclosed that the corporation had an installed production capacity of approximately 210 million gallons per day, compared with the state’s estimated daily water demand of 540 million gallons.

However, a review of its 2025 production records showed that the corporation produced approximately 2,633.22 million gallons throughout the year, translating to an average of 7.21 million gallons daily.

He said the actual daily production represented only three per cent of the corporation’s installed capacity.

The figures highlight a substantial gap between the state’s water demand, the corporation’s production capacity and the volume of water actually produced for public consumption.

Residents bear the cost

The shortfall has left many Lagos residents spending substantial sums on alternative water sources, with some households paying tens of thousands of naira monthly despite living in a state with an extensive network of water infrastructure.

Residents interviewed by NAN across Iponri, Oworonshoki, Costain, Apapa Road and Ebute Metta recounted their experiences with unreliable public supply, abandoned facilities, broken pipelines and inadequate water pressure.

At Iponri Housing Estate, Adebayo Solomon said his household spent approximately N1,500 daily on water supplied by vendors, amounting to N45,000 monthly.

If sustained throughout the year, he said the expenditure would reach about N547,500.

Solomon explained that electricity shortages sometimes disrupted water availability, forcing his household to manage stored supplies or pay higher prices for alternative sources.

He said he would welcome a connection to the Lagos Water Corporation’s network if it guaranteed regular supply and reduced his household’s dependence on vendors.

Another resident of the estate, Abdulkareem Ibrahim, said he depended on public boreholes provided by philanthropists because his community received no water from the corporation.

Ibrahim said he fetched water in the morning or after returning from work at night, adding that electricity interruptions sometimes disrupted the boreholes and forced residents to purchase water from vendors.

Although the community-supported facilities had helped him avoid regular water expenses, he said residents remained dependent on the goodwill of their benefactors.