Risks and resilience of private boreholes in Lagos, Nigeria

Water security is one of the most pressing risks facing the world. In urban areas, rapidly growing population coupled with rising incomes, falling costs, and often an absent or unreliable public water supply, mean that increasing numbers of households are choosing to install private boreholes to meet their domestic water needs. This trend is particularly prevalent in emerging global mega-cities such as Lagos, Nigeria. This multidisciplinary study begins to address the question: Does the proliferation of private boreholes strengthen or weaken the resilience of Lagos and its residents to future environmental shocks?