Water and sanitation in Lagos, Nigeria
More than half of the Nigerian people rely on unsafe sources of water, only one third of the population has access to safe sanitation.
Makoko slums in Lagos (1)
Build around and on the water the Makoko slums house thousands of people. There are only shared communal latrines and water points.
Makoko slums in Lagos (2)
Waste water, excreta, and solid waste of all kinds are disposed of in the water or pile up in the streets and wild dumping sites.
Providing water
Churches and other civil society organizations are working to improve the situation, for example, by providing access to water for free, or at affordable low prices. The photo shows a freely accessible water point at a parish of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria where water quality is monitored by the public authorities.
Ikorodu, Lagos
Also in other residential areas of Lagos there is often no publicly maintained public and sanitation system. Here you can see a water point installed by the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria Ikorodu outside the churches' compound. It provides water from the churches' own borehole.
PREACH WATER
6 December 2009, the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria Synod of the West has inaugurated its own non-governmental organization addressing water issues. Called PREACH WATER, the organization's mission is to promote awareness of water and sanitation as being key to healthy living, promote the responsible usage and conservation of water, and advocate for access to water and sanitation as basic human rights.
