The Lagos State Wastewater Management Office (LSWMO) has intensified its crackdown on environmental violations by sealing a public toilet facility and a prominent shopping mall for illegally discharging untreated sewage and wastewater directly into public drainage systems.
This decisive enforcement action targets facilities found repeatedly flouting sanitation regulations, resulting in offensive odours, visible sewage flows, and serious threats to community health and the surrounding environment.
The operations occurred on Tuesday, with Cosjane Mall along Festac Link Road in Amuwo Odofin sealed following several prior warnings, while a public toilet on Offin Road off Apongbon faced immediate closure for channeling raw sewage into drains, as part of broader efforts to curb pollution across Lagos.
Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment Lagos in his statement on X expressed his displeasure on the inhabitants of that environment and how they go about waste disposals and drainages.
“After several warnings, COSJANE MALL along Festac Link Road in Amuwo Odofin was also sealed for discharging untreated wastewater into public drainage system, constituting environmental pollution and threat to public health.,” Tokunbo said in the statement.
According to the commissioner, such illegal practices create public nuisances, heighten risks of disease outbreaks in densely populated areas, and undermine environmental sustainability, prompting swift sealing to halt further contamination.
The agency mean while reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring wastewater facilities and enforcing compliance, warning that “Any act of environmental nuisance or pollution will attract appropriate sanctions and possible prosecution” in line with state laws.
