Climate change: Lagos to become member of UNESCO megacities alliance

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has invited Lagos to become a member of the megacities alliance for water and climate (MAWAC).

MAWAC, which includes 33 megacities across the world, focuses on addressing climate change challenges.

The alliance will be formally inaugurated in January 2022 in Paris, France.

Funke Adepoju, executive secretary of Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO), spoke on the development on Wednesday, at the opening ceremony of the ninth West African clean energy and environment exhibition and conference, held in Ghana.

Adepoju said the invitation extended to Lagos to become a member of MAWAC will provide the state with resources to tackle climate challenges.

“This would greatly provide an opportunity for the state to access technical and financial support for programmes and projects to overcome the challenges of climate change,” she said. 

Adepoju said in the last 20 months, the state government, through LASWARCO, had developed frameworks for stakeholders and service providers in the water sector in line with the regulatory mandate of the commission.

These guidelines, according to Adepoju, include: packaged water service guidelines, regulation for drinking water quality, practice order for water tankers, groundwater quality control, and drilling licence regulation.

According to her, through LASWARCO, the first state-owned reference lab and a mobile laboratory have been established to ensure that regulations guiding water quality surveillance and activities of service providers are grounded in evidence-based bio-science research.

She said the commission is working with the society of testing laboratory analysts of Nigeria to ensure state-wide coverage in the area of water quality testing. 

“Water is critical to climate change. It is the link between the climate system, human society, and the environment. It is, therefore, at the forefront of mainstreaming a regulatory framework that ensures that accessing groundwater through drilling activities, abstraction, and effluent discharge are done in a responsible and sustainable manner,” she added.