Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) - Customer Enumeration & GIS Data Management

Challenge:

Lagos, with over 21 million residents and rapid urban growth, faces major water service challenges: 

• Only 11% of households had access to piped water from LWC. 
• Intermittent supply and poor water quality discouraged usage. 
• Over 60% of customer accounts were suppressed due to unreliable service. 
• Billing delivery stood at 34%, with collection efficiency below 30%. 
• LWC’s customer database was outdated, with many unregistered or illegal connections. 

Solution:

LWC engaged IBS to conduct a comprehensive Customer and Household Enumeration across 17 service areas, covering over 1.6 million residents. Key deliverables included: 

• Database Validation & Expansion - Identified and updated over 118,000 customer records, including illegal and potential users. 
• Geo-database Development - Captured customer and asset geolocation data compatible with ArcGIS, and produced detailed base maps with standardized address formats. 
• Public Awareness Campaign - Launched a multi-channel campaign (radio, TV, newspapers) to gain community support and ensure access for field teams. 
• Property Census & Field Verification - Conducted door-to-door inspections and interviews to collect accurate customer data and detect illegal connections. 
• System Integration & Anomaly Reporting - Migrated validated data into LWC’s billing system and flagged anomalies for operational action. 
• Training & Sustainability - Delivered field and classroom training to LWC staff, along with operational manuals to ensure long-term database maintenance. 

Impact :

• Created a comprehensive, accurate customer register across 17 service areas. 
• Enabled GIS-based asset and customer management. 
• Improved billing accuracy and revenue potential. 
• Equipped LWC with tools and training for sustainable database maintenance. 
• Identified and documented illegal connections and billing anomalies for resolution.