Water quality challenges in the Niger Delta region and in Nigeria as a whole.

To tackle the water quality challenges in the Niger Delta region and in Nigeria as a whole, therefore, the Federal Government, through its Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, with support from the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) have developed series of strategies,

including a Water Safety Plan (WSP) and Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance programme to support communities to have the awareness of water quality issues and its relationship with water related diseases.

Statistics show that about 57 million Nigerians do not have access to safe and portable water supply; and more than half of that number lives in rural areas. 15 million of these rural dwellers still draw and drink water from untreated ponds, rivers, lakes, streams and irrigation channels.

Beside the scarce water access, Nigerians are still faced with improper sanitation and hygiene as 46 million of them practice open defecation – a condition where human faeces are disposed of in open fields even in living neighbourhoods, forests, beaches; many dispose faeces along with solid waste.

Also, a report has it that some 130 million of them use unimproved sanitation facilities. More worrisome is the fact that 45,000 Nigerian children under five years of age, die annually from diseases caused by poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene.

Experts say the ugly situation may deny Nigeria from meeting her Sustainable Development Goals of Six which targets possible access to improved water sources by year 2030.

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) released in 2013 by UNICEF, only about 57.4 percent of the total population in Nigeria has access to improved water supply.

Of this percentage, the Niger Delta region make up only 16.57% (32 million); Akwa Ibom (27.5%), Bayelsa (27.1%), Delta State (75.2%), Edo State (73.2%) and River State (84.4%) of the 57.48% National average.

With good access to improved water supply in the Niger Delta regions though, with all the states except Bayelsa having value above the national average, there still exists a serious issue of ground water contamination – caused either biologically, or chemical related. Many states, especially Bayelsa, have problems of iron and manganese contamination.

Cases of feacal contamination of some boreholes have been recorded only months after they are drilled and in use.

There also are cases of nitrate contamination due to seepage from nearby latrines and the use of fertilizers and pesticides for agricultural purposes.

Bayelsa is particularly plagued with iron and manganese contamination, and this brings about esthetic issues which can lead to the rejection of water.

In line with the Sustaining Development Goals (SDG), the FG and UNICEF supported communities to carry out risk assessment, prioritise the potential hazards and to mitigate such hazards through the entire water chain to ensure that water reaching the consumers is safe and acceptable;

develop community plan on how to protect water source from contamination, carry out minor repairs like apron, fences, reinforce capacity of community members to carry out simple bacteriological testing and remedial actions in case of contamination.

As a result, a total of 206,954 people have gained access to safe water in the region against a target of 543,000.

River state (23,800); Akwa Ibom (8,700), Delta State (128,214), Bayelsa state (3,550) and Edo state (42,690) in addition to 224 Water Safety Plan developed in 224 communities which targets 324 (69%). There is another 600 water facilities constructed/rehabilitated targeted for 600 communities.

In sanitation, a total of 508 communities have been triggered to date through Community Led Total Sanitation Approaches (CLTS), while 143 communities out of 508 have attained the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status (28%) so far.

Verification is ongoing to ascertain another 122 communities currently claiming the ODF status.

Additional 146,364 people have gained access to improved latrines through construction of self sponsored latrines.

On provision of Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) in public institutions, 35 primary schools were provided with safe water and sanitation facilities, with 28 schools in Delta state given hand-pump boreholes; 14 with 2 VIP block latrines each (2 in Akaw Ibom, 4 in River and 8 in Delta). Construction is still ongoing in 113 schools.

Also, about 10,520 pupils (Male – 5,430 and Female – 5,090) have gained access to safe and gender sensitive WASH facilities. 12 Primary Health Care facilities were provided through construction of 12 solar motorised borehole water facilities (target 33 PHCs; 2 in public places). 225 EHC established and trained in 225 primary schools (target achieved 100%).

But despite all these efforts, a lot is still required to be achieved to totally put the region and the country in the right position she deserves in terms of provision of safe water and sanitation.

According to UNICEF’s WSH specialist, Mrs. Martha Honkonya, the agency, with its development partners will, in 2018, support the roll-out of the Partnership for Expanded Water,

Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy (PEWASH) which aims at establishing a multi-sectoral partnership between government, development partners and the private sector to support the empowerment of rural dwellers in Nigeria through the provision of adequate water supply and sanitation services.

The move is also to make operational the implementation of the ODF road map through launching of National Campaign on Eradication of open defecation in Nigeria,

harnessing the private sector’s entrepreneurial energies to achieve the higher level improved sanitation Sustainable Development Goals targets through sanitation marketing and financing as well as support states in the development of SDG plans and state-wide investment plans.

Other projects, she noted, include support of national roll out of WASHIMS and improved sector-wide data management and real time reporting, improve response for water quality monitoring

and water safety planning in line with the SDG requirements, support roll-out and sustenance of various key implementation strategies and guidelines towards sustainability of WASH interventions in Nigeria – in addition to intensifying quality assurance activities.

The models were made available through EU/UNICEF research and development to provide appropriate latrine models for riverine areas for scaling up sanitation.