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LASWARCO TO SPEAK ON GROUNDWATER POLLUTION AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

… As Commission Gets Another Invitation To Participate In Global Water Leaders’ Summit  
 
The Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) is scheduled to deliver a report on the Socio-Economic and Health Impact of Groundwater Pollution in Ejigbo, Lagos State, at an international conference scheduled to hold in Paris – France, between May 18 and 20, 2022.
 
The conference, with the theme: “Groundwater: Key To Sustainable Development Goals”, is organised by the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO, in partnership with the French Water Agency, to advance conversations on access to clean water and sanitation for all in line with Goal 6 of the SDGs.
 
Executive Secretary of LASWARCO, Mrs. Funke Adepoju, who is leading the Commission’s team to the conference, said the report was chosen ahead of other entries from across the world, while the study was prepared by the Lagos State Government to highlight the socio-economic and health impacts of groundwater pollution resulting from petroleum products as evidenced by the lamentation of residents in the media last year.

She said: “As a Commission, all activities that impact on groundwater quality are of interest to the Commission as enabled by law. The priority of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is to ensure that residents of Lagos State have access to clean water in line with its T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda and SDG 6. This is why we have put measures in place to regulate the sector in line with global best practices”.
 
“It is gratifying that the international community is taking note of the government’s effort at regulatory reforms and impacts championed by the Commission and I must say that this scheduled presentation on the world stage represents a part of the solution architecture opportunities to these affected areas”, Adepoju said.
 
Meanwhile, Mrs. Funke Adepoju has also been invited to participate in the VIP (invitation-only) Global Water Leaders’ Summit scheduled to hold in Madrid, Spain between May 16 and 18, 2022. 
 
Giving details, the Executive Secretary said the summit is a high-level meeting of global water leaders that brings together stakeholders from around the world, high-level representatives from development agencies and financial institutions, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the KWF to explore ways of better collaboration to improve water performance and access to water in relation to climate change.
 
Her words: “The global water leaders group is a CEO-level organisation with the mission to create a better story for water by bringing together water leaders from the water sector, utility directors, regulators and water ministers to focus on the world’s water challenge, facilitating vital partnerships across the sector, to help shape the way the world values water now and in the future”.
 
“The meeting will look at peer-to-peer collaboration for delivering bankability via the urban water catalyst fund and for going from good to great. It is a huge opportunity for all those involved in the delivery of SDG 6 for water and sanitation,” she said.
 
Also expected at the Summit is the CEO of International Water Bank, Rashad Shawa; Former Minister, Water and Climate, Morocco, Charafat Afailal; Zambia Regulatory Agency, Manilla Water Regulatory Office, Empressa de Services Publicos Colombia, Leonardo Vargas, Guillermo Maisch Water and Wastewater Services, Tunisia to mention a few.

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