AFRICA'S PART IN THE CLIMATE CHANGE SYSTEM

contents
• Surface Water bodies in Lagos
• What these Pollutants are made of
• Bodies Concerned with Water Pollution in Lagos
• Why it is NOT NICE to do water bodies wrong
• Issues (probably) Surrounding water resources Management
• Probable SOLUTIONS
• Final note

Water is life, such that there is still the need to drink it (even) almost immediately after drinking other forms of drinks; that satisfaction one gets after taking water, even in this age, can't be bought. That feeling hits differently!

It flows through everything; both living and non-living. It is found in the air as tiny vapour or ice crystals, on land, underground (as groundwater and soil moisture), in plants and animals including us. And everything flows through it; like a really heavier form of air. Furthermore, it is useful in almost a variety of applications; understanding geomorphology, tourism, and recreation, agriculture, creation of job opportunities and so on.

Yet as useful and free spirited as it is, I know I don't want to die by drowning. I feel like it is an artistic way to die; and I do not want to die artistically.

Surface Water bodies in Lagos

Lagos, the subject of this article, is a littoral state. It has an area of about 1,341 square miles (3,400km2) of which half is water.

Its Brackish water bodies (estuaries), include the Ologe Lagoon, the Lekki Lagoon, the Badagry Creek, and the Lagos Lagoon, which the Ogun River discharges into. Its bodies of freshwater are the Yewa River, the Osun River, the Owo River, the Aye River, the Oworu River and most significantly, the Ogun river; bodies from where water is extracted and treated for domestic use.

On its own, Lagos (thanks to its rate of growth, high population, low standard of living and other qualities among its many great characteristics) is a hub of industrial, agricultural and domestic wastes; you can smell it at Ketu.

The state further lacks planned and organised sewage disposal channels, which results in  waste waters finding their way into large surface waters.

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What these Pollutants are made of

Have you seen some surface water bodies in Lagos? They are just dirty.

I fantasize sometimes, when I walk on carter bridge, that assuming there suddenly was intense chaos, I would just dive inside this water... But then, I look down at the water, and think not of diving anymore. The water is just not it. I don't know how bad the waters of developed countries are. But results of research by WHO and African UN Environment say that Lagos lagoon is the most polluted African ecosystem.

They are filled with plants (dead ones, unconsolidated from their anchors), and all sorts of garbage and organic wastes. Looking down from the bridge, they look brown, and one can hardly see through the water from directly above it. It's not nice; the waters are not pleasing to look at. And that is just my problem with it.

Industrial wastes that pollute these waters can range from anything to anything. They include dirt and gravel, scrap metal, oil, solvents, chemicals, scrap lumber, heavy metals- iron, mercury, lead and so on from constructions, food packaging factories, automobile repair companies, fashion, transport & petroleum companies; even vegetable matter from restaurants; chemicals from fertilizer, dead organic matter from farms.

Domestic pollutants are also part of the pollutants of pollutants of water bodies in Lagos, as anyone would expect- those garbage produced in people's homes.

Wastes can be discharged into water bodies on permission from management bodies. But who gives permission to discharge waste into water bodies, to the extent of polluting large bodies of water until discolouration and bad smell?

The ill treatment of water resources in the state is obviously a poor management issue. And these ill treatments are at least, seen in the dirtiness and discoloration of surface water bodies. And my bafflement is why would a natural resource be this unkept? Do we even try to clean this thing once once??

There are bodies in place to cater for it, are there not?

I do understand that in a place where poverty prevails, non-living things will suffer, for they can't fight for themselves. But are the benefits of clean surface water so obscure to the government that they would prefer to let it suffer at the hands of surviving citizens, who have signed the social contract, that put resources in thier hands?

So who are those responsible for catering for the clealiness of natural water bodies in Lagos?

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Bodies Concerned with Water Pollution in Lagos

There are many management organisations in Lagos, the employees of which, get their paychecks from managing the state's natural water resources, directly or indirectly. But at least three of them that directly identify with direct management of water wastes and pollution include;

• Lagos state waste water management Office (LSWMO): started regulation in 2012. Their role is to monitor water vendors and issue licences. They are responsible for the establishment of fundamental wastewater policy reforms. They are supposed to offer consultancy services on wastewater matters as well as design, construct, operate and maintain wastewater treatment plant facilities.


• Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA): The LASEPA is the monitoring agency for Lagos water bodies, in respect to wastewater, solid and liquid waste disposal, groundwater, and environmental issues in the state. It also determines permissible pollution levels.


• Ministry of Environment (MOE): The primary mandate of the MOE is to secure a cleaner, healthier, and sustainable environment. The agency also has monitoring and regulatory functions in relation to installation of any pollution control, waste treatment and disposal system.

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Why it is NOT NICE to do water bodies wrong

Water has its uses, first to living things, and then to many different fields of life: domestic uses; health; transport; agriculture and gardening; economy; religion; culture; recreation, ecology and ecosystem etc... There is hardly a place you can think of where clean water is does not serve its purpose. So polluting it and not caring enough (most people can agree) is not the way to go, and it can cause the following and more;

• Poisoning of aquatic life and reduction in the amount of available sunlight for aquatic life, which can lead to Die-off or migration of bigger, more wanted fishes. The fishes they catch in Lagos lagoons are those hungry, meatless ones like titus (salmon). Those ones that probably have no chance in better waters, are the ones still even fighting for their lives in these "broke" waters; because by polluting water bodies, we create similar conditions that broke people face on land, in the water- "aquatic trenches". Thank God for catfish.


• Even before the poisoning, living conditions for aquatic life may become diffucult. Why? Solids and earth which pollute aquatic habitat hold heat faster and easier that water. And that messes up the climate they are used to. Adapting to this slightly modified habitat may be difficult. And coupled with the stress caused by the increased temperature, reproduction may be negatively affected.


• Reduction in good number of individual species, as well as variety of fish and aquatic foods. And we have to rely on importation, which seems quite wrong considering the amount of fresh water and brackish water the state is endowed with.


• Consequent poisoning of humans who eat poisoned marine life.


• Pollution of groundwater reserves which feed boreholes and wells.


• Difficulty in decontaminating polluted water. And possible drop in standard if clean water gets too expensive to decontaminate.


• Reduction in relaxation and deep reflection opportunities, as waters are dirty and smelly. You can't go to some water bodies now to go and observe the beautiful scenery, because the waters are tainted with garbage. The only thing you can do there, if you are not passing through, is research and photography stuff.


• If estuaries, which are unique biogeochemical zones that support key transformations in nutrient cycles are polluted, distortion in nutrient cycles such as that of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon would occur. This is because the neccessary aquatuc plants and animals needed to use up these elements would not be able to do so because they are dead or or have left the "trenches" for better pastures.

• There are many people who engage directly with surface water bodies; and they are not fishing. On the shore of Itun-agan for example, around 4pm (when children have come back from school, and done some other stuff) come and see children splashing about iside water; dirty water.

  "Are they not the ones dirtying the water..."

  Abi you are not alright?? Are they the ones managing the water? Or are the facilities for domestic waste and waste water disposal there and they did not use it? Or do they not pay taxes (in all the forms they pay it)?

Now that we know the people accountable, what can we say are the bottlenecks that keep them from doing what they are paid to do?

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Issues (probably) Surrounding water resources Management

Subjectively; What can we not say is stopping them from doing what they signed up to do?

I mean the government is currently involved in a myriad of projects at this time; bridges, roads, "management" of other sectors and so on. But apparently, the cleanliness of surface water bodies do not add any sort of gain they see as palpable.

Objectively (maybe); Judith (2014), in her capstone titled "Ensuring Sustainable Water Supply in Lagos, Nigeria", talked on issues like Corruption (the one and only issue I know my country, Nigeria to have with any- and everything); lack of fund, and government interference.

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PROBABLE Solutions

How do we KEEP it CLEAN. Like the things that both government and non-government (including citizens) can do to reduce pollution in water bodies in Lagos;

First of all, what can be done is in our hands; government and masses. But, outlining "how we can keep surface water bodies clean" and stuff, would mean I go and read up on the laws that formed these organisations. And to me, that seems like, bruh...

Cause in reality, these organisations were born out of research and legislation, which stated clearly, their roles and code of conduct and stuff. For example... 

 But like I said, it apparently is not of use

So what can the masses do; how do we play our own little role in catering for our natural environment? Even though our regional resources are not in our hands, and we are therefore limited.

We can try getting those small tanks they use to sell kerosene, and congigure them to somewhat work like stoves, so that when we burn "useless" stuff, and the smoke is not too much. And then, we can recycle the metals that did not burn.

This way, we practically follow goods from middle to finish- not that it is actually important. Also, in the process, we leave behind something similar to earth rather than actual garbage.

Do we produce greenhouse gas in the process? Definitely. But I can argue, that as a small scale compound- and household-based project, the resources would hardly be there to mitigate greenhouse gas emission.

But a community based project may prove more environmental friendly; if we "cremate" garbage.

Or we can prioritize recycling. The only issue I see with that is, recycling in my own area (at least) is not effective. We have to keep shit around for quite a while, then by ourselves carry our to-be-recycled plastics and stuff to where they will be recycled. But, not everybody has time and space to keep unwanted stuff around. And there are some who have to use a boat/canoe to do this.

On a community basis also, all the recyclables are brought together, and the community, in due time, takes all this stuff to where they would be recycled.

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Final Note

Frankly, we should not be happy that these animals and plants are not as intelligent. We may have had real checkmating entities.

All these goals which UN seem to be trying to accomplish would not be so difficult. Because, in the past, they all (the many intelligent species) would have disagreed and battled; only the strong would have survived; and now, they would all have come to some sort of agreement that causes everyone to see everyone as equals.

"Some of them would have gone extinct". Please... They did not fight, at least thousands of species are already extinct. It may have been better if they went extinct fighting for their lives

And the sweet part is, we, in this time, would only hear the stories and study them in school; we would not have experienced the gore and suffering. I mean, I like gore and suffering, but only in games.

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