Why Govt Shut Billionaire’s Haven, Banana Island’s Water Treatment Plant

The Banana Island Property Owners Resident Association (BIPORAL) Water Treatment Plant has been sealed by the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LSWRC) on Monday.

LSWRC Executive Secretary, Mrs Funke Adepoju said this while addressing journalists at the site of the plant and said it was sealed for for failing to meet the required safety and quality standards.

Adepoju stated that the decision had to be taken in view of the need to protect residents from consumption of unhygienic water which is harmful to health.

“It is important to note that drinking water must be safe and wholesome, free from pathogenic agents or harmful chemical substances and comply with prescribed standards of WHO (World Health Organisation) and the Lagos State Drinking Water guidelines.

“We have tested their water and wastewater and results show that it falls short of the prescribed limit. The Service provider is obligated to deliver water that meets quality specified by the regulator.

“The Service provider needs to ensure the functionality of the water and wastewater treatment plants. This is basically to protect the consumers which is what is paramount to us as a government. For now, the plant will not operate until the necessary treatment is carried out.

“However, the power of the Commission to regulate the activities of these category of players in the water sector by monitoring water quality is being exercised because so much caution has been thrown into the wind in water production and profit is placed above safety.

“It is important to remind us all that all water borne diseases are deadly. You have cholera, typhoid, dysentery, among others. So, if these diseases are deadly, it then behoves on us a government to ensure that we protect the consumers who in this case are residents and citizens of the state in line with the Health and Environment Pillar of the THEMES agenda of the Babjide Sanwo-Olu administration,” she said.

“All water producers be it carbonated water and beverages producers, be it water tanker operators, be it table and sachet water producers, be it dispenser water producers, be it private service providers in residential estates and all those engaged in the processing, packaging, distribution, sale and supply of water, are all obligated by law, specifically Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017, to deliver water that meets quality specified by the regulator,” she added