Operators of borehole drilling companies that drill boreholes in Lagos state without license and permission from the state government would be sanctioned, the state government has said.
The state’s Water Regulatory Commission, made this known through its Executive Secretary, Funke Adepoju on Wednesday in a statement made available to journalists.
She said their activities violate the Environmental Protection and Management Law 2017 penalties and offences.
Adepoju said as a proactive government, the present administration had commenced full enforcement of the licensing and permitting regime for borehole drillers to ensure safe water consumption by residents, protect ground water and engender environmental sustainability.
She said the enforcement, which is a regulatory provision, was part of the control measures by the State Government to prevent unregulated drilling of borehole in the State.
According to Adepoju, the Lagos State Harmonized Environmental Protection and Management Law (2017) empowers the LSWRC to regulate the production, distribution, abstraction, consumption, supply and use of water, as well as quality of service, and that it would amount to breaching the law for any borehole driller and owner (drill to use) to operate without license and permit from the Commission.
“The LSWRC has the mandate to ensure that operators in the industry comply with standards. If you have to drill, we have the responsibility to ensure that water available is safe for consumption.
“In view of the high impact between hygienic water and health, government will not allow quacks take over the industry. The danger in allowing such in terms of health of residents and environmental sustainability can better be imagined than experienced and so the drillers need license to operate in line with our regulatory provision.
“The geological formation of Lagos is sedimentary and caution is the word. With the importance of groundwater, government is poised to protect it from pollution, contamination of water bodies, unregulated drilling, saline filtration, environmental degradation, among others,” Adepoju said.
