Lagos, firm test-runs new wastewater trucks

The drive to keep Lagos flood free has received a boost with the partnership the State authority has recently formed with the firm of Globe-tech Limited for the use of its high – tech waste management trucks- the Vac – Con.

The trucks were, at the weekend, put to a public practical demonstration of the power of the trucks by the firm with state ministry officials in attendance to witness first hand the unique functions and pressure of the vacuum technology.

The demonstration which took place at the intersection of the ever busy toll gate area on the Lagos – Ibadan expressway saw the machine suck up wastewater from a manhole that was pried open for the purpose, emptying the drainage of all its contents including sand and other debris within a relatively short while – less than 30 minutes.

However, details of the partnership agreement remained sketchy but with strong assurances from government representatives at the demonstration that the trucks will soon be utilised for the evacuation and channelization of drainages during the periodic flood control efforts of the government as well as for other purposes.

Speaking to The Guardian, Mr. Adeniyi Abdul, coordinator of the Lagos State Government Waste Water Management Committee, shed some light on the possible partnership agreement.

“I can’t really say the full details. But the equipment will be useful for drainage clearing and clearing of the sewerage. More especially, it will help the drainage department to suck the water in the underground sewer. Some of them have been blocked for many years.

No doubt it is very useful equipment. In the past there were attempts to use some by the state government but this one has more power. What it can suck perhaps shows that it has more power than the other product that used to come from various countries. I don’t know if the government is going to buy. But I can tell you that it is very useful for the kind of thing we do in clearing the drainages,’ he said.

From the drainage department, Ministry of the Environment, Engineer Oyedele James revealed that the state government had used similar equipment in the past but Vac-Con seems a better product.

“The equipment is all right. We had one before, actually three but not the same type because this one is bigger. If government can procure it, it will assist in the job we do. We have been trying our best to keep the state flood free. Whatever flood you see is actually flashflood. Recently at Oshodi our men actually went into the holes because when you don’t have equipment, you do it manually. That takes longer time while this one is faster. That is the essence of having a machine to assist the job. It gives us quicker response and more time to actually attend to other areas where we are needed”.

Explaining that flashfloods is stagnant water stays for a short period of time, usually less than 24 hours, he advised the government to procure the equipment if it can afford it.

Flashfloods is stagnant water that stays for a period of say, between 30 minutes to one hour sometimes after rainfall or due to higher intensity of sewage for the capacity of the drain. When the stagnant water remains beyond that to a whole day or two, it then becomes permanent flooding. I will definitely advise the government to buy one if it is available and if the fund is available.