The Lagos State Government has sealed a property in Ikoyi over alleged environmental law violation through the discharge of untreated sewage into a nearby canal through a failed sewage treatment system.
The state’s Wastewater Management Office (LSWMO), while carrying out the enforement, discloded that the act endangered public health and violated the state’s environmental regulations.
The LSWMO also stated that close residents to the building, No. 5, Manuwa Street, Ikoyi, after raised concerns over persistent foul odour and unsanitary conditions in the area, after which investigation by the agency reportedly confirmed that untreated wastewater was being continuously discharged from the premises into the canal.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said that the property was sealed after officials established that its sewage treatment plant had become non-functional and moribund, resulting in the deliberate and sustained release of untreated sewage into the drainage channel.
Wahab noted that the illegal discharge created an unhygienic environment, constituted a public and environmental nuisance, and posed significant health risks to nearby residents.
According to him, the enforcement action followed public outcries over the environmental condition around the property and the subsequent verification of the violations by officials of the LSWMO, who moved swiftly to halt the pollution and prevent further degradation of the environment.
Wahab reiterated the state government’s commitment to enforcing environmental sanitation and wastewater management regulations, stressing that property owners and facility managers have a responsibility to ensure that sewage treatment systems are functional and that wastewater is properly treated before disposal.
The Commissioner also urged residents, businesses and developers across the state to comply strictly with approved wastewater management practices, warning that individuals or organisations found violating the law would face appropriate sanctions, including the sealing of affected premises and possible prosecution in accordance with the relevant environmental laws.