By Ayomide Otitoju
The Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) has sealed the premises of three major companies—Nigerian Bottling Company (producers of Coca-Cola), FrieslandCampina (makers of Peak Milk), and Guinness Nigeria Plc—for extracting large volumes of groundwater for commercial purposes without proper authorisation or adherence to regulations.
The enforcement, carried out on Tuesday in Lagos, follows years of engagement by LASWARCO to secure compliance from these companies. Mr. Olowu Babatunde, Director of Technical Services at LASWARCO, disclosed that despite over seven years of discussions, compliance levels have been inadequate.
“We operate under a law that mandates us to regulate large-scale groundwater extractors in Lagos State. These companies—Coca-Cola, FrieslandCampina, and Guinness—are major abstractors using significant volumes of groundwater. While we’ve engaged them consistently, compliance has been either partial or non-existent,” Babatunde stated.
The crackdown aligns with a directive issued on Monday by Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources. During a press briefing, Wahab emphasized that the Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017 empowers LASWARCO to regulate groundwater activities and impose penalties for unauthorized extraction.
Wahab warned that unregulated groundwater abstraction poses severe environmental risks, such as land subsidence and groundwater contamination. He highlighted that the government had previously offered a 75% waiver on groundwater abstraction fees in 2020, but the low compliance rate prompted the current enforcement actions.
“Letters were issued to non-compliant organizations, giving them a 72-hour ultimatum to comply with the regulations. Those who continue operations without proper authorisation will face penalties,” Wahab said.
The enforcement marks a significant step in addressing the challenges of unregulated groundwater usage in Lagos State. LASWARCO has reiterated its commitment to ensuring compliance among heavy groundwater users to safeguard the environment and public resources.
