The Lagos State government, through the State Water Regulatory Commission, (LSWRC) is set to commence the licensing of all borehole drillers in accordance with the State Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality Regulations.
Addressing members of the Association of Water, Well Drilling, Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) recently in a meeting in his office, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Arc. Ahmed Kabiru Abdullahi, noted that there was need to have a database of all borehole drillers within the State, in order to intimate them of the content of the regulations guiding the State Water Sector, emphasising the need for those involved in borehole drilling to be professionals.

He gave assurance that while government was ready to implement the Water Sector Law, it would first create sufficient awareness and enlightenment for all stakeholders to understand its implementation process as ignorance of the law would not be an excuse once enforcement commences.

Arc. Abdullahi stated that a 100 – man team would be set up to register and conduct free water quality tests on all boreholes in the State adding that any information gathered from the exercise would be imputed into the commission’s database.

Furthermore all existing boreholes would be regularised and subjected to periodic checks to curb the occurrence of water borne diseases, he said, while also admonishing the association to look into the development of its members as a way of curtailing the activities of quacks within the industry.

He appealed for the cooperation and vigilance of the association and its members and urged them to cooperate with the State Government by providing technical expertise to fix water related problems where they exist and make positive impact in the state.

In his own contribution, the National President of the Association, Mr. Michael Ale, expressed satisfaction with government plan to license all drillers, saying that it was in the best interest of the drillers to operate with decorum and professionalism.

He promised that the association would cooperate with the state government in this endeavour.

It would be recalled that the Water Sector Law was promulgated in 2004, to protect the long term interests of consumers with regard to the quality, price and reliability of services received from service providers whether government or private owned.