An estimated 90.8 per cent of Nigerians population lack access to portable water and have to make do with water contaminated by faeces and other impure substances resulting to water-borne diseases.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), recently warned that two billion people are drinking water contaminated with faeces, and 3.4 million people die annually as a result of water borne diseases, associated with inadequate provision of drinking water and sanitation.
Also, over 57 million Nigerians still lack access to portable water, drinking water from rivers, lakes, ponds, streams and irrigation canals, according to the United Nation Children’s Fund, (UNICEF).
Causes of contaminated water A UNICEF Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist, Moustapha Niang, said that more than half of the 57 million Nigerians that lack access to portable water supply, live in rural areas.
There are cases of nitrate contamination also, due to seepage from nearby latrines and the use of fertilizers and pesticides for agricultural purposes.
“Bayelsa is particularly plagued with iron and manganese contamination, and this brings about esthatic issues which can lead to rejection of the water.” According to him, “Of this percentage, the Niger Delta region make up only 16.57 per cent; 32 million of the 190 million population, with access to improved water supply, with Akwa Ibom having 76.3 per cent, Bayelsa 27.5 per cent, Delta 75.1 per cent, Edo 73.2 per cent, and Rivers 86.4 per cent of the 57.48 per cent national average.
As at 2015, it was estimated that 69.6 per cent of Nigerians had safe sources of drinking water, but there was a decline from from 69.6 per cent in 2015 to 64.1 per cent in 2016 and 2017, according to MICS data.
The levels of safely treated water have been low and the 2011 MICS puts it at 0.04 per cent in 2011 and 0.09 per cent in 2012.
Solution UNICEF WASH specialist advised that it is imperative for the three tiers of governments to put more effort to ensure accessibility to portable water supply, or the nation will not be able to meet the SDGs Goal 6 by 2030, which aims at ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
This is an indication that Nigeria has a long way to go if she hopes to meet the Goal Eight of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which targets to “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Niang, in his presentation, ‘Water, supply and quality in the Niger Delta’, emphasised on the need for proper orientation of the rural populace to adopt attitude change and embrace water safe plan, from water source, storage to point of use.