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The United Nations (UN) has petitioned Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the precarious water situation in the state, stressing that safe potable water remains an inalienable human right.
Its Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, his counterparts on adequate housing, standard of living and right to non-discrimination, Leilani Farha and that of right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Leo Heller, signed the public communication to the Lagos State Government earlier in the year before the outbreak of COVID-19.
They specifically expressed concern over the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 35/19, 34/9 and 42/5.
“In this regard, we would like to bring to your attention information concerning the escalation of the Lagos State Government’s renewed plans to privatise important parts of the water system in Lagos, despite widespread public opposition and its potential negative impact on the human rights of lower income Lagos residents in the absence of essential safeguards.
“There is a clear risk of water privatisation shifting the focus of water management from service provision for all residents to ensuring more reliable services for the well-off while generating handsome profits for the private suppliers.
“In a country where over half of the population lives in poverty, the negative impacts especially in Lagos State of higher water tariffs and even more unequal infrastructure investment would be immense for people living in poverty, unless respect for adequate minimum standards is ensured,” the letter reads.
They argued that Nigeria was facing as major problems of multidimensional poverty as illustrated by the fact that it ranks 158th on the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP’s) Human Development Index (HDI) for 2019, adding that was despite Nigeria being Africa’s largest economy by gross domestic product (GDP), its biggest oil exporter, and having the largest natural gas reserves on the continent.
Reminding Sanwo-Olu that the World Bank recently warned that water, sanitation and hygiene sector was in critical condition and required immediate attention, they pointed out that although rates of access to improved water services grew from 1990 to 2015, the country had worsened in terms of access to potable water services.
They expressed concern that the privatisation contracts for Adiyan II, Igbonla, Yewa I and Adiyan III water projects planned through 2023, would result in corporate control of major parts of the system for two to three decades.
“Some concessions will be granted for 20, 25, 30 or 35 years. After 2024, there are other privatisation projects already planned. However, the privatisation of Adiyan II and Igbonla waterworks is imminent, as financial negotiations with corporations would reach the final stages soon.
“If these two privatisation contracts are finalised as they currently stand, they will put the control of one-third of Lagos’s water supply in private corporate hands,” the letter added.
The World Bank estimates that the richest 20 per cent of households account for over 90 per cent of overall access to improved water and sanitation. In contrast, less than 30 per cent of households in the poorest quintile have access to improved sanitation.
According to commentators, lack of access to safe and affordable water was caused by corruption, political instability, decades of poor policies, deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate budgetary allocations, bad management, inadequate government attention to the water sector, and poorly implemented water laws.
“Acute water shortages in Lagos State have affected all aspects of daily life, particularly for low-income people, severely limiting access to water and sanitation and jeopardising public health, leading to increased child mortality and water-borne diseases.
“With an estimated population of 21 million people, Lagos is the most populous city in Africa. The city’s daily water demand is far beyond the amount produced by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC),” they noted.
Rather than seek to implement a combination of improved policies that would ensure adequate access to water for all, the state government has focused only on the possibilities flowing from privatisation through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Despite the urging of many civil society groups, the government has failed to ensure their right to participate in the relevant decision-making processes concerning water supply.
They, therefore, stressed that the state government should explore a robust public sector driven approach to the state water crisis and stop privatisation of water services in Lagos.
