The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Monday stated that more than 1.42 billion people are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability globally.
UNICEF’s representative in Nigeria, Mr Peter Hawkins, raised the alarm in a statement issued to commemorate this year’s World Water Day.
The UNICEF representative stated that of this number, 450 million are children, adding, this ” means that 1 in 5 children worldwide does not have enough water to meet their everyday needs.”
Mr Hawkins stated that the figures in Nigeria are particularly worrying with 26.5 million Nigerian children experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability (or 29percent of Nigerian children).The world’s water crisis is not coming – it is here, and children are its biggest victims.
“We have to act now both to address the water crisis in Nigeria to prevent it from getting worse and if we want to meet the SDGs, we can only achieve water security for every Nigerian – including the Nigerian child – through innovation, investment and collaboration, and by ensuring services are sustainable and well-managed. We must act – for the sake of our children and our planet,” he said.
Mr Hawkins added, “When wells dry up, children are the ones missing school to fetch water. When droughts diminish food supplies, children suffer from malnutrition and stunting. When floods hit, children fall ill from waterborne illnesses. And when water is not available in Nigerian communities, children cannot wash their hands to fight off diseases.
“The UNICEF data show that children in more than 80 countries live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability. Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest proportion of children living in such areas, with more than half of children – 58 per cent – facing difficulty accessing sufficient water every day. It is followed by West and Central Africa (31 per cent), South Asia (25 per cent), and the Middle East (23 per cent). South Asia is home to the largest number of children living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability – more than 155 million children.”
