IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

IIARD INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (IJGEM )

E-ISSN 2504-8821
P-ISSN 2695-1878
VOL. 11 NO. 3 2025
DOI: 10.56201/ijgem.vol.11.no3.2025.pg161.179

---

Performance Assessment of Water Infrastructure in Lagos State, Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Development

Olayemi Soladoye

---

Abstract

At the root of water supply problems in sub-Saharan Africa is the state of infrastructure in the water sector. As the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals approaches, this study assesses the condition of public water infrastructure in Lagos State, Nigeria, in order to evaluate progress made towards achieving the SDG-6 objectives. Using secondary data spanning 2017 to 2021, the study conducted an inventory and performance evaluation of waterworks in the state. The findings indicate significant disparities in pipe-borne water access, particularly in underserved urban fringes. Statistical analyses reveal that major water-producing facilities operate below their design capacity, with utilisation rates often under 40%. The result of ANOVA testing the effect of the levels of system design on the operational performance of major waterworks revealed significant differences in operational performance implying that performances were better with the levels of volumetric production of system design rather than with design capacity. Overall, seasonal changes have a significant impact on water production, underscoring the importance of diversifying water sources for domestic water supply. Also, the uneven distribution of water facilities necessitates the strategic positioning of new infrastructure that are guided by geospatial tools. From the findings on capacity underutilization, there is a need for technology modernisation and improved energy stability for all waterworks. The need for improvement in funding of water-producing facilities for infrastructure development was highlighted. This study recommends the urgent need for critical actions to enhance water production in Lagos State to achieve SDG-6 objectives.

keywords:

Water infrastructure, SDG 6, Water production, Waterworks, Lagos, Performance evaluation

---

References:

Adeoti, S., Kandasamy, J. and Vigneswaran, S. (2023). Water infrastructure sustainability in
Nigeria: a systematic review of challenges and sustainable solutions. Water Policy. 25.
10.2166/wp.2023.173.
Ahmed S, Meenar M, and Alam A. (2019) Designing a Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI)
Network: Toward Water-Sensitive Urban Growth Planning in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. Land. 8(9):138. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8090138
Balogun I. I., Sojobi, A. O. and Galkaye E. (2017) Public water supply in Lagos State, Nigeria:
Review of importance and challenges, status and concerns and pragmatic solutions.
Civil & Environmental Engineering | Research Article A research article in Cogent
Engineering ISSN: (Print) 2331-1916 (Online) Journal homepage:
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/oaen20
Chapman, K. S., Merceron, A., Myers, N. C., and Wood, E. A. (2020). Women’s livedexperiences of water infrastructure in Gressier, Haiti. Water International, 45(7–8),
901–920. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2020.1839836
Chepyegon, C., and Kamiya, D. (2018). Challenges faced by the Kenya water sector
management in improving water supply coverage. Journal of Water Resource and
Protection, 10(1), 85-104.
Dadson, S.; Hall, J.W.; Garrick, D.; Sadoff, C.; Grey, D. and Whittington, D. (2017) Water
security, risk, and economic growth: Insights from a dynamical systems model, Water
Resour. Res., 53, 6425–6438, doi:10.1002/2017WR020640.
Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). The Importance of Water Infrastructure. Retrieved
from https://www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure
Gallandat, K., MacDougall, A., & Jeandron, A. (2024). Improved water supply infrastructure
to reduce acute diarrhoeal diseases and cholera in Uvira, Democratic Republic of the
Congo: Results and lessons learned from a controlled intervention trial. PLOS
Neglected Tropical Diseases. Retrieved
from https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0012265
Haruna, I.M.; Achari, G.; Jamel, A and Irwin, S. (2023) The path to investment in water
infrastructure in low income and least developed countries: Obstacles and
possibilities. Intern. J. of Water Res. and Environ. Engineering 15(1) p 1 – 12
Herrera, V. (2019) Reconciling global aspirations and local realities: Challenges facing the
Sustainable Development Goals for water and sanitation World Development Vol. 118
pp 106 – 117 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.02.009
Howell, D. C. (2010) Statistical methods for Psychology, 7th Edition
Holm, S. (1979). A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scandinavian
Journal of Statistics, 6, 65–70.
Jideonwo, J. A. (2014) Ensuring Sustainable Water Supply in Lagos, Nigeria. M.Sc Thesis,
University of Pennsylvania, Penn Library, Philadelphia, 161 p. Retrieved from
https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/40179
Kookana, R. S., Drechsel, P., Jamwal, P., & Others. (2020). Urbanisation and emerging
economies: Issues and potential solutions for water and food security. Science of the
Total Environment. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720325742
LWC (2010) Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos Water Supply Master Plan. Lagos Water Corporation.
Manase, G. (2024). The Role of Water Infrastructure in Urban Growth and Industrial
Development. Water Policy Journal, 26(2), 215-230.
https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2024.113
Meeks, R. (2012) Water Works: The Economic Impact of Water Infrastructure. Discussion
Paper 2012-35, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Environmental Economics Program, July
2012. Millington, N., & Scheba, S. (2021). Day zero and the infrastructures of climate change: Water
governance, inequality, and infrastructural politics in Cape Town's water crisis.
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Retrieved from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1468-2427.12899
Nkiaka, E., Nawaz, N. R., Lovett, J. C., & Dougill, A. J. (2021). The impact of investments
in water infrastructure on achieving SDG 6 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Environmental
Science & Policy, 124, 557-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.06.007
Nyarko, K. B., Oduro-Kwarteng, S., & Owusu-Antwi, P. (2020). Challenges of Urban Water
Supply: A Case Study of Ghana. Urban Water Journal, 7(3), 169-182.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2010.484041
Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Bardales, J. D., Antiporta, J., Perez, K., Acosta, L., Mao, F., Zulkafli,
Z., Gil-Rios, J., Angulo, O., Grainger, S., et al. (2019) Potential contributions of preInca infiltration infrastructure to Andean water security. Nat. Sustain. 2, 584 – 593
Sojobi, A. O. (2016) Evaluation of groundwater quality in a rural community in North Central
of Nigeria. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment, 188 (3). pp. 1-17.
Sakai H , Satake M,. Arai Y and Takizawa S. (2020): Report cards for aging and maintenance
assessment of water-supply infrastructure Report cards for aging and maintenance
assessment of water-supply Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology—
AQUA, 69.4, 2020
UN Water (2023) Water Scarcity. Retrieved from https://www.unwater.org/waterfacts/water-scarcity

DOWNLOAD PDF

---

Back