500,000 Lagos residents threatened by leaking sewage plant

NO fewer than 500,000 res­idents of Iponri Low-Cost Housing Estate, Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State, yesterday ap­pealed to the state govern­ment to save their lives from looming epidemic.

The residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the sewage plant which drains dirty water from the soak-away of more than 400 housing units with 500,000 residents has been disconnected by Eko Disco (EKEDC) due to unpaid bills.

They said the action has resulted into flooding of the estate with dirty water from the soak-away, thus spread­ing stench in the area.

Mr. Abdul-Rasak Osho, President, Iponri Housing Estate Residents’ Associa­tion, told NAN that the sew­age plant constructed by the state government was being maintained by the Ministry of the Environment.

“The residents noticed that the sewage plant stopped working about three months ago. We met the engineer-in-charge who told us that the power sup­ply to the plant had been disconnected because LASG owed the EKEDC.

“We bought diesel for them to power the plant but it was exhausted within just five hours. We have ap­pealed to EKEDC to restore the power supply but it said not until the state govern­ment paid what it owed the company.

“The sewage plant has been under the government care since we bought flats in this estate and government has not told us that it can no longer maintain it.

“Presently, the dirty wa­ter has flooded the estate. We cannot even pass some routes now because of the flood,” he said.

The engineer in charge of the sewage plant could not be reached because the main entrance to the place was locked.

Also, no official of the Ministry of the Environ­ment was ready to speak on the issue.

They said they were not permitted to speak to the media.