Nigeria, Aug. 26 -- On a mildly sunny morning in January, Blessing Bolaji squeezed into a packed Toyota Space Bus headed from Ogudu to Lagos Island. As the bus cut through traffic, a conversation among passengers stirred something painful in her.

Ms Bolaji joined in, recalling the long, exhausting commutes she once endured from Ogun State to her workplace in Lekki, on Lagos Island.

The daily stress eventually forced her to relocate to Lekki Phase 1.

"I thought I was making life easier," she said, explaining her decision to move closer to her workplace in 2024. "Instead, I walked into a nightmare."

Her new apartment came with an invisible cost-no access to clean water. The borehole produced coloured water that looked unsafe at first gl...