Lagos water corporation revises 1.03% coverage figure, says it serves 1.65 million people

The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) says its water network serves an estimated 1.65 million residents, revising the previous 1.03 per cent coverage its official earlier gave.

In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the corporation stated that the earlier estimate was based on an average of six people per connection, whereas its connections serve multiple households per plot.

“LWC currently has 34,424 registered plot connections. Based on an average of 48 residents per plot, these connections serve approximately 1.65 million residents, around 8.3 per cent of the State’s population of over 20 million,” the statement said.

The clarification followed a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report quoting Rasaq Anifowoshe, LWC’s deputy director of corporate affairs and brand management, as saying the corporation’s 34,424 registered connections served 206,444 people, representing 1.03 per cent of Lagos’ estimated 20 million residents.

LWC said its connections were plot-based and that each plot served multiple households. Using an average of 48 residents per plot, the corporation estimated that its network served about 1.65 million people, or 8.3 per cent of the state’s population.

The corporation also said no interview was authorised by it for the report. The earlier report, however, attributed the figures to Mr Anifowoshe in an interview with NAN.

Production below capacity

Even with the revised the coverage estimate, LWC acknowledged that its production remains far below the installed capacity of its facilities, attributing the shortfall to diverse challenges.

The statement read, “Lagos State’s installed water production capacity has the potential to serve a substantially larger proportion of the population. However, ageing infrastructure, power supply constraints and ongoing rehabilitation works continue to affect operational performance and the reliability of supply in some areas.

“We acknowledge that significant challenges remain in meeting the growing demand for water across Lagos State. Population growth and urban expansion require sustained investment in water production facilities, distribution infrastructure, operational efficiency and long-term planning. 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.”

In the NAN report, Mr Anifowoshe said the corporation had an installed production capacity of about 210 million gallons per day (MGD), compared with an estimated daily demand of 540 MGD across the state.

He noted that LWC’s 2025 production records showed an average daily output of 7.21 million gallons, about three per cent of its installed capacity.

The corporation attributed its operational challenges to ageing infrastructure, power supply constraints and ongoing rehabilitation works, which affect the reliability of supply in some areas.

Many residents rely on boreholes and private water vendors to meet their daily needs, with some spending thousands of naira on water.

Residents interviewed by NAN in Iponri, Oworonshoki, Costain, Apapa Road and Ebute Metta reported irregular supply, non-functional public facilities and inadequate water pressure.

At Iponri Housing Estate, Adebayo Solomon said his household spent about N1,500 daily on water from vendors, amounting to N45,000 a month.

In Oworonshoki, Amanda Ogbodo stated that she spent between N2,200 and N3,600 weekly on vendor-supplied borehole water. She said supply from LWC had improved in parts of her area but remained unreliable for homes on higher ground.

Other residents told NAN that failed public water facilities had forced them to depend on private sources.

Planned water projects

LWC said it planned to rehabilitate and upgrade micro and mini water treatment plants, extend its distribution network and improve infrastructure monitoring to reduce water losses.

In the earlier report, Mr Anifowoshe said the rehabilitation of the treatment plants was expected to make water accessible to more than 5.6 million households when completed.

He also listed the proposed Igbonla 100 MGD water treatment plant, which he said would boost supply along the Lekki-Epe corridor.

The corporation has separately announced plans to rehabilitate Ojokoro Mini Waterworks and construct Lagos Island Micro Waterworks.

NAN reported that the Lagos State Government’s second-quarter 2026 budget implementation report showed that 36.2 per cent of the approved annual budget for improving 15 existing mini and micro waterworks had been spent as of 30 June. Expenditure on the Adiyan Phase II Waterworks project stood at four per cent of its approved annual budget.

The figures show budget expenditure but do not establish the projects’ completion status or how much water they currently supply.

LWC said it remained committed to improving water supply across the state.

For residents who depend on private vendors, the key question remains whether the planned projects will translate into a more reliable public water supply.