Coalition Opposes LASWARCO's Borehole Crackdown Plans

The Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC), consisting of over 50 national and regional organizations, has warned of legal action and mass mobilization in response to the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) potentially criminalizing household boreholes. This warning follows a statement from LASWARCO Executive Secretary Oluwabukola Adeyemo, which indicated that drilling boreholes without government authorization could lead to property sealing and criminal prosecution.

The coalition argues that the 2017 Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law exempts domestic boreholes from licensing requirements, specifically citing Section 253(1). They also highlighted that more than 91 percent of Lagos's population lacks adequate public water access, despite significant investments in water infrastructure.

The coalition criticized the unequal regulatory treatment of households versus multinational companies, including Nigerian Bottling Company, Guinness Nigeria (NGX: GUINNESS), and FrieslandCampina WAMCO. They called for the rehabilitation of existing waterworks and opposed the proposed privatization of the Lagos Water Corporation, emphasizing that water access should remain a public service.