60m Nigerians living without access to water – WaterAid

 

The WaterAid Nigeria, has raised the alarm over the situation of water, sanitation and hygiene in the country, saying about 60 million people live without access to water.
The agency, in a statement signed by its Nigeria’s Communications and Media Manager, Mrs Oluseyi Abdulmalik, said the country is lagging behind in the provision of water and sanitation for all, ahead of United Nations review of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
It stated further that 67 per cent, that is, over 120 million people do not have decent toilets while about 47 million people practice open defecation.
“Accessibility, availability and quality vary widely in Nigeria, with national averages masking significant inequalities between sub-national regions.
“In a new brief launched this week, ‘How to reach everyone with safe water and sanitation by 2030’, WaterAid said urgent action to finance water and sanitation, to integrate it with efforts on health, nutrition and other related development, and to make progress sustainable is essential to reach everyone, everywhere,” the report said.
It therefore urged that faster progress on all three will save lives, boost development and change the lives of billions of people living inextreme poverty globally, adding that for every US$1 spent on waterand sanitation, on average, $4 is returned in economic benefits.
The Nigerian government must prioritise clean water, decent sanitation
and good hygiene for people across the country, if Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the provision of clean waterand decent sanitation for everyone everywhere – is to be reached by2030, WaterAid said.
It said without access to these basic amenities, men, women and children in Nigeria will remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease, while being denied their basic human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Leave a Reply