PH
There is palpable fear of an epidemic outbreak in Lagos as the state has been hit by water scarcity which is aggravated by the lingering fuel shortage and power outage in the country. Residents had in the last few weeks lamented the development which had unsettled them with severe economic and psychological implications.
Presently, over 50 per cent of the water needs of the state are serviced through boreholes, shallow wells and water vendors while less than 10 per cent of the residents have access to public water. Water from all these sources have, however, become comatose due to lack of public power supply and petrol to power the generators with which to run the borehole pumping machines, among others.
The inadequate supply of water has also come with such consequences as water pollution, with the attendant poor sanitation and water-borne diseases. Many inhabitants of the slum areas in the state have their baths in open spaces because of lack of public or private bathrooms and toilets; water from these activities usually contaminates the wells and boreholes around.
In Lagos, the boreholes and shallow wells are sunk at random by both skilled and unskilled workers. Many are also contaminated by the water coming from drainages and sewage systems.
A recent measles outbreak in Otodo Gbame, Ikate Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state where 25 children died was linked to bacterial infection in the community water. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, affirmed that water samples taken from the community confirmed traces of bacterial infection while the victims’ blood samples and throat swabs analyses conducted at the Virology Reference Laboratory (VRL) and the Drug Quality Control Laboratory (DQCL) of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja, all indicated that the children died of measles.
