78m Nigerian children risk contracting water related diseases, group warns
Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
No fewer that 78 million Nigeria children risk contracting water related diseases if nothing is done to combat escalating water crisis in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the Rural Community Development Outreach (RCDO), a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) based in Nigeria with membership across the rural communities in the six geopolitical regions of Nigeria.
The group said the Federal government of Nigeria must pay attention to the water crisis in Nigeria to save the Nigerian child and many more in the rural communities from the looming danger.
A statement signed by the National Coordinator, Engr Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe; and National Secretary, Okwudili Onyeke, and made available to newsmen said one third of children do not have access to at least basic water at home, and two thirds do not have basic sanitation services.
The group which said the figure was in accordance with the estimates by the United Nations Children Fund under (UNICEF), noted that there exists an existential threat looming dangerously that may overpower the Nigerian healthcare sector.
“Already Nigeria is one of the 10 countries that carry the heaviest burden of child deaths from diseases caused by inadequate attention to water supply, sanitation and hygiene such as diarrhea diseases. In Nigeria, one third of children do not have access to at least basic water at home, and two thirds do not have basic sanitation services.
“Not minding that Nigerian households, according to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, spent over N4trillion on water sanitary, hygiene and services annually in 2019 and 2020. The majority of the rural communities in Nigeria find themselves without access to safe usable water. Many are left with no options than to use polluted and highly contaminated water streams for drinking water and other uses.
“As the world celebrates water day, it will be morally just for the Federal Government of Nigeria and the people in leadership positions to reexamine the trouble posed by continued unavailability of safe water in rural communities around the country. It is the civil right of every Nigerian, both young and old, to have access to safe water that will not cause a pandemic,” it said.
A study sponsored by UNICEF in 2021 disclosed that only 6% of the healthcare facilities in Nigeria have safe water facilities while only 11% of schools have safe water facilities. This is as the then Federal Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu indicated only 28 out of the 36 States of the federation have urban water utilities or State Water Agency.
Only 16 out of the 28 States have fully functioning urban utilities while 12 were partially functional. The Minister added that access to public water supply declined from 32% in 1990 to less than 7% in 2015.
The group noted that most state governments had adopted the concept of sinking water boreholes as a solution to the unavailability of safe water.
“But boreholes do not address the safety problem. Government should look beyond the sinking of water boreholes as solutions to safe drinking water. This Government must conceive a plan; a real implementable plan for delivering safe drinking water to every home in Nigeria particularly the rural communities. It should be considered as important as building roads and hospitals.
“For the health and well being of the Nation, it is pertinent for better attention to be paid to safe water systems. Nigeria can not develop without a well thought out plan on safe water systems,” it said.
