On the occasion of World Water Day, UNICEF has raised urgent concerns about Nigeria's water crisis, where an alarming 70% of water at the point of consumption is contaminated. This contamination epidemic not only poses a severe threat to public health but also has profound implications for agriculture, a sector vital to Nigeria's economy and food security.
In the sprawling Kuchigoro camp of Abuja, which houses up to 3,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing Boko Haram attacks, access to clean water is a daily struggle. Bitrus Yusuf, a camp official, laments the dire situation, stating that women often resort to begging for water from nearby estates. The congestion within the camp, coupled with inadequate access to water and proper hygiene facilities, creates a breeding ground for diseases. Cholera outbreaks have become recurrent, claiming lives such as Istifanus Bitrus' four-year-old son, who fell victim to the disease.
Investigations into the cholera outbreak revealed a grim reality – sewage leakage contaminating the camp's only water source. UNICEF highlights that children bear the brunt of this crisis, with a staggering 117,000 succumbing to water-related illnesses annually, marking Nigeria with the highest child mortality rate attributed to such diseases globally.
The ramifications of Nigeria's water crisis extend beyond public health, significantly impacting agriculture, a sector that employs a significant portion of the population and contributes substantially to the country's GDP. Access to clean water is indispensable for irrigation, livestock farming, and food processing, essential components of Nigeria's agricultural value chain. Contaminated water jeopardizes crop yields, compromises livestock health, and undermines food safety standards, thereby threatening food security and livelihoods.
Jane Bevan, UNICEF's chief of water, sanitation, and hygiene program (WASH), underscores the urgent need for action. She emphasizes that addressing open defecation practices, which contaminate water sources, is crucial. Without proper intervention, contamination inevitably seeps into groundwater, exacerbating the crisis. While Nigerian authorities have made efforts to improve water access, experts stress the need for simultaneous improvements in water hygiene practices to combat the pervasive issue.
The gravity of Nigeria's water crisis is further underscored by the UN's inaugural assessment of water security in Africa, which reveals that up to half a billion people, including Nigerians, are living in water-insecure areas. This assessment serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive measures to tackle water contamination and ensure the basic human right to clean water for all Nigerians, safeguarding both public health and the agricultural sector's sustainability.
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