Nigeria is surrounded by enormous water bodies. Yet, the people lack potable water for consumption. CHINAKA OKORO writes that the United Nations recognises the importance of water to humankind; hence its celebration of this year’s World Water Day (WWD) today to draw the attention of world leaders to how water could be deployed in achieving global peace and realisation of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 which is water and sanitation for all by 2030
The undeniable truth emerges. The world has failed its citizens by not providing them with one of the most important necessities of life-potable water-despite promising that people, the world over would have enough clean water for consumption and use by 2030 which is six years away.
The likelihood of adequate water for peoples of the world remains a conjecture because, statistics reeled off by the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) indicate that “about 703 million people worldwide (including Nigeria) do not have access to clean water. This shows that about one in 10 people cannot access good water. “Women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours, walking six kilometres every day to fetch water. “More than 1,000 children under five die every day from diseases caused by contaminated water, poor sanitation and unsafe hygiene practices.
“An estimated 1.69 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation, even as 419 million people practice open defecation.”
About 2.2 billion people; that means one in four people lack access to safe water and 3.5 billion people; that is, two in five lack access to a safe toilet.”
These figures are staggering and depict a serious global water crisis, despite that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) promises universal access to clean water and sanitation in six years (2030).
Aside from these unsavoury global figures, the United Nations has revealed that “over two billion people live in countries where water supply is inadequate. Half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025. Some 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.”
Of more worrisome is a joint report by the African Development Bank Group, The World Bank and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the nasty and damning global water and sanitation situation. The report by the three international organisations reveals that “around the world, only nine per cent of the global population has access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services; 70 per cent use basic drinking water services; nine litres average per capita volume of water per day for the rural population; 44 per cent use basic sanitation services; 46 million practice open defecation; 16 per cent households have access to basic hygiene services; 14 per cent schools have basic water and sanitation services; seven per cent health facilities have basic water and sanitation services and 11 per cent of households had, at least, one diarrheal case in the past six weeks.”
Significance of the theme “Water for Peace”
The frightening statistics on the global water crisis might have informed the United Nations the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to choose “Water for Peace” as this year’s theme of the global event. The theme was chosen to demonstrate water’s pivotal role in fostering peace, prosperity and conflict prevention.
The Day presents an opportunity for individuals, organisations and governments to unite and accelerate change to resolve the global water and sanitation crisis and to promote sustainable water management. The relevance of the theme is that “water can create peace or spark conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise among communities and countries.”
Described as the essence of life, water is said to be an invaluable resource that has multifaceted functions such as sustenance of humankind, nourishing of the ecosystems and enhancement of human progress. Regrettably, the availability of vast water bodies that surround the world does not translate to the obtainability of clean water to those who need it.
Worried by this ugly situation, The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Antonio Guterres lamented that “the world is woefully off-course to achieve our goal of water and sanitation for all by 2030. Billions of people still don’t have safe water and toilets.
“As climate change impacts increase and the global population grows, we must unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource. By working together to balance everyone’s human rights and needs, water can be a stabilising force and a catalyst for sustainable development.
“On this World Water Day, the United Nations calls for increased international cooperation on how water is used and managed. This is the only way to avoid a global water crisis in the coming decade.”
The global water crisis, if not seriously addressed, could lead to a major catastrophe; of which UNESCO’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay warned that “there is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiralling out of control.”
Water situation in Nigeria
Nigeria faces a significant water scarcity challenge despite being surrounded by huge water bodies. The horrible situation, experts say, results from poor water management practices and insufficient structure that makes significant water resources unsafe for human consumption.
Statistics show that the average Nigerian consumes only nine litres of water daily. This is an insignificant quantity to the acceptable minimum standards of 12 to 16 litres per day.
According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), Nigeria’s per capita water availability has decreased, exacerbating the scarcity challenge. Several indications point to Nigeria and Nigerians having acute water problems resulting from water scarcity.
The World Bank estimates that 70 million Nigerians lack access to safe drinking water and 114 million lack access to basic sanitation facilities.
The outdated and inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure, lack of investment and pollution of water sources due to inadequate waste disposal and industrial practices worsen the issue. As a result, only a small percentage of the population has access to clean and safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.
Providing adequate water for the masses can alleviate water crisis and poverty. This is so because when the government provides safe water for rural dwellers, for instance, it helps to alleviate water poverty and suffering.
Effects of water crisis in Nigeria
States and communities in Nigeria have one tale of woe or the other to tell about the water crisis. The effects of the crisis are not just in time and energy wasted for all that are affected. There are serious health, economic, social and food security consequences.
Experts and other stakeholders have noted that “diseases that are otherwise preventable are rampant among the poor in Nigeria. This is so because most diseases gain access to the body through the food or water that people eat and drink.”
Access to clean water and sanitation (Sustainable Development Goal 6) is a basic human right that is still a challenge for millions of people worldwide.
A Sustainable Development Goals Report of 2022 notes that “the water crisis has severe impacts on health, well-being and productivity; leading to millions of deaths each year from waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid fever.” It also noted that women and girls are unduly affected because they spend hours fetching water and facing risks of violence and harassment due to inadequate sanitation facilities.
Lack of safe water and sanitation also limits productivity and economic potential. This, in effect, perpetuates poverty.
To this end, experts are of the view that the acute global water scarcity should be resolved. The call for action against the unsavoury water situation, especially in Nigeria, has become necessary because problems with poor water quality manifest in quite several horrid ways.
Non-availability of potable water results in individuals accessing water from unsafe sources. These unsafe water sources harbour “harmful germs, parasites and chemicals, including human or animal faeces, pesticides and other chemicals that do damage to the body systems.”
According to a 2022 report by Water.org, an international organisation that monitors global water challenges, the water and sanitation crisis has a significant impact on economic development in developing countries such as Nigeria.
A preview of water crisis in Nigeria
Confirmatory to a UNICEF source, 70 per cent of Nigerians consume contaminated water. This figure illustrates the seriousness of Nigerians’ water crisis.
A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. A United Nations Children’s Fund report on poor access to clean water states that poor access to improved water and sanitation in Nigeria remains a major contributing factor to high morbidity and mortality rates among children below five.
Although about 70 per cent of Nigerians are reported to have access to basic water services, more than half of the water sources are contaminated.
On the water situation in Nigeria, especially in Owerri, the Imo State capital, a community leader, Chief Ikeotuonye Osuagwu who has the traditional title of Ikeoha 1 of Amaimo Ancient Kingdom in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, said: “Pipe-borne water is now luxury and a status symbol instead of being a necessity and one of the fundamental rights of the people.
“In a country with huge water bodies, it is embarrassing that the people are resigned to fate and continue to fetch and drink water from questionable sources such as rivers, ponds, burst pipes and wells.”
The community leader, in a telephone chat from Orji, outskirts of Owerri, pointed out that Nigerians, especially those in the rural and semi-urban areas hugely depend on water from wells and boreholes, which are littered in almost every compound; a situation, he said, portends danger.
“A situation where wells and boreholes are in every compound in Owerri is dangerous to the environment. If there are 20 houses on a street in Owerri, and each has either a well or borehole, it means that on that particular street, there are 20 deep holes made into the soil, which invariably makes the soil very hollow. Such a situation is a harbinger of earthquakes,” he said.
Another community leader, Akusinachi 1 of Amaimo Ancient Kingdom in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, Chief Uchenna Ojor, who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of O.M.C Funerals; a hearse operating firm spoke to our correspondent from Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital said: “Water and food are not only essential elements of life; they are also universally recognised human rights. The right to water and the right to food go hand-in-hand.”
Lamenting the indiscriminate sinking of boreholes and wells in almost every compound in Nigeria, the community leader added that “these are sunk without proper geophysical survey as some are sunk very close to septic tanks, pit latrines and waste dump sites.”
On the failure of the government to provide water for the citizens, Chief Ojor said: “The government has not done much. It is less concerned about people’s well-being in terms of providing safe, potable water for the people as a result of infrastructural decay.”
Nigeria’s clean water access (2000-2024)
In its review of clean water accessibility and sources of contamination, Macrotrends (www.macrotrends.net) states that “rivers, streams and lakes might be contaminated with livestock waste, human sewage, chemicals and other contaminants which can lead to illness when used for drinking, bathing and other hygiene activities.”
Reeling off its statistics on the accessibility of clean water by Nigerians, it revealed that “Nigeria’s clean water access for 2020 was 21.67 per cent, a 0.35 per cent increase from that of 2019 which was 21.32 per cent, a 0.36 per cent increase from 2018 figure of 20.96 per cent, a 0.36 per cent increase from 2017 figure, while the country’s clean water access for 2017 which was 20.60 per cent, and a 0.37 per cent increase from that of 2016.
The government’s efforts at addressing water crisis
Agreed, the Federal Government has spent billions of naira to provide safe and clean water, but it seems that the investments have dried up in the pipes. Almost everywhere, the taps are dry; that is where there are water taps.
Not daunted by the seeming lack of achievements in its efforts, the Federal Government has continued to evolve policies and programmes to address unsavoury water situations for the well-being of the people.
For instance, it plans to invest N1.60 trillion in water projects over the next five years that will enable it to provide water and sanitation to 90 per cent of the population. In 2021, the government built about 2,300 water points and 6,546 hygiene facilities and sanitation compartments nationwide.
The recent National Development Plan 2021-2025 has also set a goal of increasing access to water and sanitation by 2030 and ending open defecation by 2025 in compliance with the SDGs 6.1 and 6.2.
Individuals and communities are essential in promoting a water-secure world. Individuals and communities can contribute to sustainable water management by conserving water, reducing pollution and promoting awareness.
Other measures to prevent water crisis and ensure sustainable water and sanitation for Nigerians, stakeholders advised that “the Federal Government should invest in water and sanitation infrastructure. This is to ensure safe and sustainable access to water and sanitation facilities, particularly for vulnerable populations.”
