By; MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos
United Nations Children’s Fund ((UNICEF) Nigeria Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Dr. Jane Bevan, has called for urgent action to address the water crisis in Nigeria.
Bevan made the call as world leaders and relevant organizations convened for the UN 2023 Water Conference.
She warned that a triple threat of water-related crisis is endangering the lives of 78 million children in the country.
“78 million children in Nigeria are at the highest risk from a convergence of three water-related threats – inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); related diseases; and climate hazards – according to a new UNICEF analysis, Bevan said.
In a statement issued on 20th March 2023, the UNICEF Chief of WASH pointed out that 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.
Hand hygiene, according to her, is also limited, with three-quarters of children unable to wash their hands due to lack of water and soap at home.
As a result, Nigeria is one of the 10 countries that carry the heaviest burden of child deaths from diseases caused by inadequate WASH, such as diarrhoeal diseases, the UNICEF chief disclosed.
Nigeria also ranks second out of 163 countries globally with the highest risk of exposure to climate and environmental threats, she said, adding that groundwater levels are also dropping, requiring some communities to dig wells twice as deep as just a decade ago.
At the same time, rainfall has become more erratic and intense, leading to floods that contaminate scarce water supplies, she stressed.
“I believe we need to rapidly scale-up investment in the sector, including from global climate financing, strengthen climate resilience in the WASH sector and communities, increase effective and accountable systems, coordination, and capacities to provide water and sanitation services, and implement the UN-Water SDG6 Global Acceleration Framework.
“If we continue at the current pace, it will take 16 years to achieve access to safe water for all in Nigeria. We cannot wait that long, and the time to move quickly is now. Investing in climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services is not only a matter of protecting children’s health today, but also ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come,” Bevan stated.
The ‘triple threat’ or ‘triple’ burden’ was defined in the statement as “less than 50 per cent access to at least basic water or sanitation services; within the top 20 countries with the highest burden of deaths attributable to unsafe WASH among children under 5; and the top 25 per cent of countries facing the highest risk of climate and environmental hazards.”
.
