Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission is to commence issuance of licenses and permits for water abstraction in the state by the first quarter of 2020.
Addressing stakeholders in the water sector, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mrs Funke Femi Adepoju revealed that the exercise which is to be launched by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is to regulate the process of water abstraction in the State.
“What is paramount to government is how abstraction affects us as a people not just today but the future with emphases on pollution, contamination of water bodies, saline filtration into the system, over-abstraction and unregulated abstraction”, she stated.
Adepoju affirmed that licensing is a significant process in the regulation of any industry as the Commission is determined to ensure its availability and sustainability to prevent the effect on unregulated water abstraction.
While assuring that only registered companies captured in data will be issued a 2-year renewable license with unique and personalized number, the Executive Secretary explained that the Commission was not established for a punitive purpose, but rather to establish a standard in the water extraction industry in order to ensure that the health and safety of citizens are not compromised.
According to her, the essence of the engagement is to improve the relationship between stakeholders and Government by developing ways to sanitize the industry, stressing that the Commission has acquired mobile water test kits which are to be used in testing samples during operation and that approval for the acquisition of a standard laboratory for water testing is on the way.
The meeting was attended by members of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Financial Institutions, Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP) and Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners Operators among others.
