Over 180 million people lack drinking water in Nigeria, other countries facing conflicts – UNICEF.
Related News Over 180 million people living in countries affected by conflicts, violence and instability do not have access to basic drinking water, a new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has revealed.
These include over 3.6 million people in the north-east of Nigeria where the Boko Haram insurgency has damaged about 75 per cent of water and sanitation infrastructure, the report noted.
The report, which was released Tuesday, is in commemoration of this year’s World Water Week holding August 27 to September 1.
The theme of the 2017 World Water Week is “Water and Waste – Reduce and Reuse”.
Around 15 million people in the country have been cut off from regular access to water and sanitation.
“In South Sudan, where fighting has raged for over three years, almost half the water points across the country have been damaged or completely destroyed”, the report states.
“In Yemen, for example, children make up more than 53 per cent of the over half a million cases of suspected cholera and acute watery diarrhoea reported so far.
And in South Sudan, the cholera outbreak is the most severe the country has ever experienced, with more than 19,000 cases since June 2016.
“In famine-threatened north-east Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, nearly 30 million people, including 14.6 million children, are in urgent need of safe water.

Miracle, age 9, lives in Gishiri, has a daily routine of fetching from a nearby pond.
“My mom asked me to come fetch and bath,” she said, standing beside her was her friend who was bathing from the unclean water with her uniforms on.
Like Miracle, Deborah, 10, her friend also tells me that their drinking water in that community comes from wells, hand-pumped water boreholes or even the small stream where they were bathing.
Miracle is the third child in a family of five.
“This is the only water my mom can afford, the other one sold in jerrycan is expensive for us”, Deborah a Primary 5 student from the local school said.
Deborah also depends on the stream for her water needs – the poverty stricken slum located amidst opulence is a reminder of what life looks like for residents of these communities who work in neighborhoods with trimmed lawn, air-conditioned offices but can only afford Gishiri.
Because of its location in the heart of Abuja, one bedroom apartment in Gishiri costs between $1,500 per annum to $1,800 – the location of the community estimated to host about 500,000 residents is regarded as Abuja most sought after location for civil servants and low-income earners.
Leading cause of child death is diarrhea, a majority of which is water-related, and according to the World Health Organisation, diarrhea disease is the second leading cause of death in children and is responsible for killing around 525 000 children every year.
A recent report by Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Healthy estimated that 63 million Nigerians lack access to potable water – undeniably residents of Gishiri and importantly, Miracle and her friend Deborah IF captured by that report fall under the number of the vulnerable in the Nigerian society that are likely to die as a result of preventable water-borne diseases.
She is the 2017 United Nations Journalism Fellow and budgIT Media fellow for 2017

Miracle, age 9, lives in Gishiri, has a daily routine of fetching from a nearby pond.
Like Miracle, Deborah, 10, her friend also tells me that their drinking water in that community comes from wells, hand-pumped water boreholes or even the small stream where they were bathing.
Miracle is the third child in a family of five.
Deborah also depends on the stream for her water needs – the poverty stricken slum located amidst opulence is a reminder of what life looks like for residents of these communities who work in neighborhoods with trimmed lawn, air-conditioned offices but can only afford Gishiri.
Because of its location within the heart of Abuja, one bedroom apartment in Gishiri costs between $1,500 per annum to $1,800 – the location of the community estimated to host about 500,000 residents is regarded as Abuja most sought after location for civil servants and low income earners.
Leading cause of child death is diarrhoea, a majority of which is water-related, and according to the World Health Organisation, diarrhoea disease is the second leading cause of death in children, and is responsible for killing around 525 000 children every year.
A recent report by Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Healthy estimated that 63 million Nigerians lack access to potable water – undeniably residents of Gishiri and importantly, Miracle and her friend Deborah IF captured by that report fall under the number of the vulnerable in the Nigerian society that are likely to die as a result of preventable water-borne diseases.
Abuja’s development has remained non-inclusive for even those within its reach – Abuja is named among the 20 most rapidly expanding cities (in terms of population) with at least five million residents, according to the United Nations 2010-2020 rates (data supplied by demographia.com).
Amidst that growth is the absolute disregard for its rural dwellers “we don’t think we are in Abuja – we watch the big men rise along their skyscrapers” – Godiya Shem, 33, a primary school teacher in Gishiri.
The 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey report revealed that 97,000 children die yearly from diseases due to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

On 7 June 2017, World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of a cholera outbreak in Kwara State, Nigeria, where the event currently remains localized.
An important risk factor is the lack of access to clean drinking water and poor hygiene conditions.
Cases are being managed in local health care facilities in Kwara State.
Active case searching is ongoing in the affected and surrounding communities.
In order to improve laboratory investigations, cholera rapid diagnostic tests are being distributed to selected facilities and health care staff trained on their use.
Efforts to improve case management are ongoing.
On 15 June 2017, clinicians from the three most affected local government areas were trained on cholera case management, and infection prevention and control (IPC).
Environmental investigations are ongoing, and water samples (a local community well and household drinking water) have tested positive for Vibrio cholerae.
Laboratory response activities include the prepositioning and on-the-job training on use of rapid diagnostic tests in two health facilities.
This would include ensuring proper medical waste management by the State Ministry of Health and access to clean portable water by the Ministry of water resources.

On 7 June 2017, World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of a cholera outbreak in Kwara State, Nigeria, where the event currently remains localized.
An important risk factor is the lack of access to clean drinking water and poor hygiene conditions.
Cases are being managed in local health care facilities in Kwara State.
Active case searching is ongoing in the affected and surrounding communities.
In order to improve laboratory investigations, cholera rapid diagnostic tests are being distributed to selected facilities and health care staff trained on their use.
Efforts to improve case management are ongoing.
On 15 June 2017, clinicians from the three most affected local government areas were trained on cholera case management, and infection prevention and control (IPC).
Environmental investigations are ongoing, and water samples (a local community well and household drinking water) have tested positive for Vibrio cholerae.
Laboratory response activities include the prepositioning and on-the-job training on use of rapid diagnostic tests in two health facilities.
This would include ensuring proper medical waste management by the State Ministry of Health and access to clean portable water by the Ministry of water resources.

Nigeria: FG wants states to invest in water for long term, not boreholes drilling.
WorldStage Newsonline– Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed concern that state governments are not investing in water inspite of the surface water resources that they can tap from and dams constructed by the Ministry of Water Resources over the years as source of raw water to provide for uban and semi urban communities.
Adamu lamented on the rate of boreholes proliferation in Nigeria without any form of regulations, adding that the ministry was trying to curtail boreholes proliferation.
He expressed concern on the lack of data and monitoring on the exploitation f ground water "some people drill boreholes and don’t know there is a lot of interference.
He statd that the Federal Executive Council had approved the National Water Bill which had passed through second reading at the National Assembly.
He said the bill contained safeguard to protect the water resources, which will address the issue of water pollution and incessant boreholes drilling in Nigeria.
President of the Association of Hydro-geologist, Engr Ehidiamhen Olumese said that over the years, water resources development in the country had been approached without synergy.
And if we allow it to continue, we are going to run into serious problems in feature destroying God given natural resources.” Olumese said that the data of every boreholes in Nigeria can’t been taken because the details were not taken by the hydrologys, that whoever wants to drill boreholes should get in touch with the ministry.
He lamented that Benin City for example in past had best underground water which was very portable, but today due to uncontrolled drillıng of boreholes and disposal of waste water, the underground water had been polluted, which had given rise to typhoid and cholera.
However, he called on the ministry to help resolve the current situation.

Oil spill clean-up delay angers Ogoniland residents.
BODO, Nigeria – Under a leaden sky in oil-rich southern Nigeria, young men hang around with nothing to do, covering their noses from the noxious fumes of the polluted swamp.
The sight in Bodo, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Port Harcourt, is repeated in communities elsewhere in the maze of creeks that criss-cross Ogoniland.
"The people of Ogoni still cannot have access to safe drinking water, not to talk of electricity, basic schools and roads," he told AFP.
Anger in Nigeria’s south over oil spill clean-up delay https://t.co/ilvBUDhtXR #tech #science — oniverse (@theoniverse) June 22, 2017 In June 2016, Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo formally launched the project, which the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said could take 30 years.
Fish and carcinogens Ignatius Feegha, 41, used to catch fish as a child in the waterways of the Niger Delta.
"We can’t see no fish in this water because the water is stained with crude oil," he said.
He said the youths who were unemployed insisted on being paid the money instead of allowing Shell to give the job to contractors.
So Shell, which had already engaged two companies to do the job, had to back out," he added.
READ: Oil spill as militants blow up pipelines in south Nigeria Agbulu said Shell was not ready to give cash to the youths and since they would not allow the contractors to handle the job, decided to suspend the clean-up.

"The people of Ogoni still cannot have access to safe drinking water, not to talk of electricity, basic schools and roads," he told AFP.
The Anglo-Dutch energy giant also agreed to start a clean up of two devastating oil spills in 2008, following a three-year British legal battle that was settled out of court.
In June 2016, Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo formally launched the project, which the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said could take 30 years.
So far, however, only $10 million of the initial $1 billion programme has been released.
"The fact is that Ogoni still drinks poisoned water and remains polluted and these cannot be changed by internal processes and media promotions," said Nsuke.
Fish and carcinogens Ignatius Feegha, 41, used to catch fish as a child in the waterways of the Niger Delta.
"I used to wake up around 5:00 am with my father to fish and would come back with baskets of fish before going to school," said the civil servant.
"We can’t see no fish in this water because the water is stained with crude oil," he said.
So Shell, which had already engaged two companies to do the job, had to back out," he added.
Agbulu said Shell was not ready to give cash to the youths and since they would not allow the contractors to handle the job, decided to suspend the clean-up.

"The people of Ogoni still cannot have access to safe drinking water, not to talk of electricity, basic schools and roads," he told AFP.
The Anglo-Dutch energy giant also agreed to start a clean up of two devastating oil spills in 2008, following a three-year British legal battle that was settled out of court.
In June 2016, Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo formally launched the project, which the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said could take 30 years.
So far, however, only $10 million of the initial $1 billion programme has been released.
"The fact is that Ogoni still drinks poisoned water and remains polluted and these cannot be changed by internal processes and media promotions," said Nsuke.
– Fish and carcinogens – Ignatius Feegha, 41, used to catch fish as a child in the waterways of the Niger Delta.
"We can’t see no fish in this water because the water is stained with crude oil," he said.
Signs beside boreholes warn residents not to drink the water.
So Shell, which had already engaged two companies to do the job, had to back out," he added.
Agbulu said Shell was not ready to give cash to the youths and since they would not allow the contractors to handle the job, decided to suspend the clean-up.

Nigeria: AfDB to Invest $1.1 Billion to Fight Drought, Famine.
The African Development Bank is planning to deploy $1.1 bn following board approval to fight drought and famine in some African countries, the bank said in a statement on Saturday.
The bank issued the statement to commemorate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought which was observed on June 17, aiming to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification.
The day is used to remind stakeholders that land degradation neutrality is achievable through problem-solving, strong community involvement and cooperation at all levels.
The statement, signed by Emeka Anuforo, said the socio-economic impact of displacement and forced migration due to drought and environmental pressures were significant.
"Refugee and displaced populations pose significant pressure on weak local and national institutions and strain national and local governments and host communities.
"Forest reserves are diminishing due to use of wood for heating and cooking in poor households resulting in soil erosion; and damages to grazing habitat for livestock is on the increase.
In addition, while charcoal is a traditional source of energy and fuel, demand for it drastically affects forest reserves and further reduces rainfall thereby exacerbating aridity."
"The bank has committed $24bn towards agriculture in the next 10 years, with a sharp focus on food self-sufficiency and agricultural industrialisation," AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, said recently.
The recent drought and famine facing some countries (Southern Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda) deserve swift action, as over 20 million face food insecurity and severe malnutrition.