By BIMBO ADEYEMI

Lagos Island’s Sewage Crisis Exposes Gaps in Environmental Enforcement & Public Health Protection

A sanitation crisis is unfolding in parts of Lagos Island, where public drainage channels have become dumping routes for household wastewater and suspected human waste. Although Lagos State has environmental laws prohibiting the practice and has spent billions of naira on drainage infrastructure, residents continue to endure foul-smelling gutters, polluted surroundings and growing fears of disease.

The consequences are particularly troubling for families with young children.

Enomfon Okure, a nurse and mother of four living on Braimoh-Igbo Street in Itafaji, said the stench from nearby drains had become part of her daily routine since she moved into the area in January 2025.

Each morning, before heading to her workplace in Ikoyi, she covers her nose to avoid the smell of dark wastewater flowing through open channels. Pipes attached to nearby buildings discharge wastewater directly into the drains, while flies gather around the contaminated water.

“I am struggling to survive here,” she said, explaining that she had not anticipated the sanitation conditions when her husband rented the apartment because of its proximity to her workplace.

Her anxiety centres on her children, whom she no longer allows to play outside. Eventually, the family decided to send them to relatives in Akwa Ibom State.

“This environment is a gateway to diseases,” she said.

An Investigation Reveals a Widespread Sanitation Problem

Okure’s experience is not an isolated case. Over several weeks, an investigation documented wastewater and suspected sewage flowing through public drainage channels in several residential and commercial locations on Lagos Island.

The affected areas included Braimoh-Igbo, Obe, Alli, Massey, Kakawa, Okepopo and Isale Gangan streets, alongside Adeniji Adele and Tinubu Square.

In these communities, pipes from residential and commercial buildings discharged wastewater into open drains. Consequently, pedestrians, traders, shoppers and residents had to navigate streets lined with polluted channels.

At Tinubu Square, traders said public toilets and commercial buildings were connected to drainage systems that should primarily carry rainwater.

David Nonso, who sells clothing materials, said the problem had continued for years. According to him, flushing toilets sends waste into gutters around the market, making the smell especially unbearable during hot weather and rainfall.

Ibrahim Abubakar, a tailor, also complained about wastewater flowing through the drainage in front of the market. Meanwhile, Emeka Uzor, an electrical-goods trader, warned that the polluted environment exposed customers, workers and residents to potential health dangers.

The traders attributed the problem partly to overcrowding and the limited space between buildings. Nevertheless, they feared that a disease outbreak could spread rapidly through the densely populated commercial district.

Buildings Constructed Over Drains Complicate Enforcement

The investigation uncovered another challenge: some buildings appear to cover sections of public drainage channels, making them difficult to inspect and maintain.

On parts of Braimoh-Igbo Street, Obe Street and adjoining roads, drainage channels disappeared beneath buildings before re-emerging further down the streets.

Residents alleged that some property owners had extended their buildings over existing drainage alignments and used the concealed sections to channel wastewater from their premises.

Although the investigation could not independently verify what passed through every concealed section, dark and foul-smelling water emerged from some drains further downstream.

This arrangement raises serious questions about the accessibility of public infrastructure. When buildings obstruct drainage channels, officials may find it harder to inspect illegal connections, remove blockages and carry out routine maintenance.

To establish whether the structures had received regulatory approval, the investigation submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Lagos State Building Control Agency on June 17. The agency, however, did not respond despite repeated visits to its office.

Lagos Environmental Law Prohibits Illegal Wastewater Disposal

The practices documented on Lagos Island violate important provisions of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.

Section 112 requires property owners and occupiers to maintain clean premises, including surrounding gutters and drainage channels. In addition, Section 118(1)(a) prohibits the construction of structures on drainage alignments, sewers, footpaths and required road setbacks.

The law also prohibits the discharge of untreated waste into the environment outside applicable regulatory provisions. Section 185 addresses untreated waste and chemical substances, while Section 188(1) restricts the discharge of trade and industrial effluent into public drains or the natural environment without the relevant permit.

Furthermore, Section 115(4) prohibits indiscriminate dumping of domestic, industrial and commercial waste along roads and drainage channels.

Lagos building regulations also require developers to install appropriate wastewater disposal systems. Depending on the property, these may include public or private sewers, septic tanks with secondary treatment, wastewater treatment plants or cesspools.

Despite these provisions, the investigation found properties discharging wastewater directly into public drainage channels. The persistence of the practice therefore raises concerns about compliance monitoring and the deterrent effect of existing regulations.

Previous Sealing Exercises Have Not Eliminated Illegal Connections

Lagos State authorities have taken enforcement action against properties accused of releasing untreated sewage into public drainage systems.

The Lagos State Wastewater Management Office sealed a property in Okota after discovering that raw sewage from its septic tank was being discharged into a public drain. Subsequently, officers shut a residential property on Apongbon Street, Lagos Island, over an alleged discharge of faecal matter.

In September 2025, the agency sealed EMCEL Court Phase I and Well Stock Apartments in Ikota GRA, Eti-Osa, over alleged untreated wastewater discharges. Earlier, in August 2025, it sealed residential properties in Abule Egba and Lekki following similar allegations.

Moreover, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, warned residents to maintain their surroundings and dispose of waste properly when the state announced the return of monthly environmental sanitation in April.

He also threatened sanctions against offenders.

Yet these measures have not ended the problem in the communities visited. Wastewater continued to flow through public drains, suggesting that enforcement operations must go beyond isolated closures and address the conditions that allow illegal connections to persist.

Public Drainage Spending Raises Questions About Maintenance & Oversight

The sanitation problem is unfolding despite substantial state expenditure on drainage infrastructure.

The Lagos State Government’s 2024 Citizens’ Accountability Report recorded approximately ₦45.53 billion in expenditure by the Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources. That represented 99 per cent of its total budget of ₦46.06 billion.

The report listed ₦13.65 billion for drainage construction and dredging across the state, ₦11.48 billion for rehabilitation of drainage systems across local government areas, and another ₦9.36 billion for dredging and construction. It also recorded ₦2.30 billion for outstanding liabilities on drainage construction.

These figures cover drainage and flood-management activities. They do not represent the state’s total expenditure on sewage and wastewater treatment, which falls under a separate agency.

Nevertheless, the expenditure highlights the importance of protecting public drainage assets. Channels built to convey stormwater cannot perform that function effectively when property owners divert sewage into them or construct buildings over their alignments.

The government itself recognises that drainage maintenance, dredging and protection of rights-of-way are essential to flood control. Therefore, the problem extends beyond the availability of infrastructure to the enforcement of environmental standards and the maintenance of existing facilities.

Government’s Silence Leaves Accountability Questions Unresolved

Attempts to obtain explanations from relevant government agencies produced mixed results.

On 17 June, the investigation submitted a Freedom of Information request to Commissioner Wahab, seeking details about illegal sewage connections, government monitoring and sanctions against offending properties.

However, follow-up visits on 30 July and 4 August failed to secure a substantive response. During the second visit, the commissioner’s secretary reportedly conveyed his position in a brief statement: “The commissioner says he is not interested.”

The investigation also approached Massey Children Hospital for records of children treated for cholera, typhoid fever, acute diarrhoea, dysentery and other waterborne illnesses. Hospital officials requested approval from the Lagos State Health Service Commission, and a formal application was received on 2 July.

Despite further efforts, the requested information was not provided.

Similarly, a 17th June Freedom of Information request to the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, remained unanswered. The Lagos State Waste Management Authority also failed to respond to enquiries about its knowledge of the sanitation problem.

These unanswered questions prevented the investigation from establishing the precise number of affected properties and determining how extensively the conditions documented on Lagos Island were reflected in local health records.

Wastewater Agency Acknowledges Problem, Explains Enforcement Measures

The Lagos State Wastewater Management Office provided the most detailed response, replying to the investigation by email on 5 August.

A. Abiola, responding on behalf of General Manager Adefemi Afolabi, stated that untreated wastewater, raw sewage and faecal sludge should not enter public stormwater drains or gutters.

The agency explained that property owners must provide appropriate sanitation facilities, such as septic tanks and soakaways or wastewater treatment plants, depending on the nature and size of their buildings.

To monitor compliance, LSWMO said it conducts inspections, traces drainage routes, tests wastewater samples and responds to complaints from residents and whistleblowers.

Where officers discover illegal connections, the agency can issue abatement notices. If property owners fail to comply, it can disconnect unauthorised pipes, seal premises, impose fines or prosecute offenders.

LSWMO disclosed that it had issued hundreds of abatement notices and sealed scores of residential and commercial properties across Lagos over the preceding two years. It also confirmed that some enforcement operations involved properties on Lagos Island.

However, the agency acknowledged that the island’s dense development, ageing infrastructure, small plots and high groundwater table create difficulties for conventional wastewater disposal systems.

In areas with shallow groundwater, poorly maintained soakaways may overflow. Consequently, some landlords divert greywater into gutters, although the agency stressed that this does not make the practice lawful.

For buildings without proper sanitation facilities, LSWMO said property owners remain responsible for installing suitable systems. It added that the agency could provide technical guidance, while accredited sewage dislodgers could temporarily remove waste during remedial work.

The office also disclosed that it was considering decentralised wastewater and faecal-sludge treatment systems for densely populated communities where conventional sewer networks would be difficult or expensive to establish.

Regarding structures built over drainage channels, LSWMO said other urban planning agencies handle the removal of physical encroachments. Nevertheless, it can intervene when such structures conceal illegal wastewater connections and refer the matter to the appropriate authorities.

Health Experts Warn of Disease Transmission & Contaminated Water

The health implications of untreated sewage in open drains extend beyond the unpleasant smell.

Ernest Onyebuchi Nwoke, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiology at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, warned that exposure to untreated sewage could increase the risk of cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, hepatitis A and other diarrhoeal diseases.

He identified children as particularly vulnerable because they frequently touch contaminated surfaces and may put their hands in their mouths.

“Even walking barefoot through contaminated floodwater can expose them to parasites such as hookworm,” he said.

Heavy rainfall can make the situation more dangerous. As drains overflow, contaminated water may enter homes, markets and other public spaces, spreading disease-causing organisms and contaminating food and water sources.

Nwoke also warned that poorly constructed, leaking or overflowing septic systems could contaminate groundwater, especially in areas with high water tables.

He called for routine inspections, stronger enforcement and improved wastewater management to reduce the risks.

Environmental Advocate Says Drainage Construction Alone Is Not Enough

Olamide Martins Ogunlade, Associate Director for Climate Change and Extractives at the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, said illegal sewage connections undermine the basic function of public drainage infrastructure.

He explained that stormwater channels should transport rainwater away from communities to reduce flooding. Connecting wastewater pipes to them, however, effectively converts the drainage network into an open sewer system.

According to Ogunlade, the practice increases environmental pollution and creates conditions for cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and other waterborne diseases. Flooding can further spread contaminated water into homes, streets and markets.

He also warned that polluted drains could encourage mosquitoes and rodents while contaminating nearby rivers and lagoons.

Although many Lagos communities lack adequate public sewer networks, Ogunlade insisted that this shortage cannot justify the illegal discharge of sewage into public drains. He maintained that property owners must install safe and approved wastewater disposal systems.

He further criticised the construction of buildings over drainage alignments, warning that such structures obstruct inspections, maintenance and the detection of illegal connections.

For Ogunlade, the solution requires more than constructing additional drainage channels. Government must also protect existing infrastructure, enforce environmental laws, educate residents and ensure that property owners provide appropriate sanitation facilities.

“Infrastructure alone cannot solve the problem,” he said.

Lagos Faces a Wider Test of Environmental Governance

The findings expose a troubling contradiction in Lagos State’s environmental management. On one hand, the government has enacted laws, funded drainage projects and carried out enforcement operations. On the other, residents in several Lagos Island communities continue to live beside open drains carrying wastewater and suspected sewage.

The challenge is therefore not simply the construction of more drainage channels. It also involves ensuring that existing infrastructure remains accessible, that buildings comply with planning regulations, that property owners install proper sanitation facilities and that regulatory agencies consistently enforce the law.

Until these responsibilities receive sustained attention, the state’s drainage investments may continue to operate alongside an unresolved sewage crisis.

For residents such as Okure, the consequences are immediate. For the wider city, the danger extends to public health, environmental protection, flood management and confidence in government accountability.