From Olukayode Idowu, Abuja
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lamented that one in every five children on the globe do not have enough water to meet everyday’s need.
The United Nations’ body said the situation is more worrisome in Nigeria with 26.5 million Nigerian children (about 29 per cent, nearly one-third, of Nigerian children) experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability.
A statement by UNICEF on Sunday decried that: “As the world commemorates World Water Day, globally, more than 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.”
The statement citing an analysis, part of the Water Security for All initiative, identified areas where physical water scarcity risks overlap with poor water service levels as one of the major causes of the problem, lamenting that communities living in these areas depend on surface water, unimproved sources of water, or water that can take more than 30 minutes to collect.
The statement quoting UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins said: “The world’s water crisis is not coming – it is here, and children are its biggest victims.”
He said: “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 statement said the UNICEF data have shown 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.
Children in 37 ‘hotspot’ countries face especially dire circumstances, in terms of absolute numbers, the proportions of children affected, and where global resources, support and urgent action must be mobilized, includes Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen.
The statement recalled that last year, the Nigerian Government and UNICEF released a Wash Norm Study which showed that while there has been some progress, thanks to efforts by the Ministry of Water Resources and its partners to strengthen the sector’s planning and monitoring – there is still much more work to be done in the country to ensure that all Nigerians have access to adequate and quality water and hygiene services.
It emphasized that sustainable and equitable access to safe drinking water remains a challenge in Nigeria, with over 86 per cent of Nigerians lacking access to a safely managed drinking water source. The problem is compounded by poor drinking water quality and lack of equity in access.
The statement however said although about 70 per cent of Nigerians are reported to have access to a basic water services, more than half of these water sources are contaminated, even with 73 per cent of the country’s population having access to a water source, only nine litres of water on average is available to a Nigerian daily.
It lamented that at the current rate, the country will miss the SDG targets on people’s access to water, unless there is a strong commitment and appropriate action taken by all stakeholders.
It stressed that while the impact of water scarcity can be felt by all, no one suffers more than the most vulnerable children. Children and families living in vulnerable communities face the double-edged sword of coping with high water scarcity levels while having the lowest water services, making access to sufficient water especially susceptible to climate shocks and extreme events.
Peter Hawkins however said: “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.”