ENVIRONMENT Re-evaluating the quality of water supplied to homes
orld Health Organisation (WHO) said an improved drinking water source is a facility or delivery point that protects water from external contamination, particularly fecal contamination. This includes piped water into a dwelling, plot or public tap or borehole; protected spring and rainwater collection.
Water which is used in almost every important human chore and process serves as an important element in both domestic and industrial purposes.
However, a closer examination of our water sources today gives one a rude shock. Our rivers and water sources are infested with waste ranging from floating plastic bags to chemical waste thereby turning most water bodies into a pool of poison.
The fact that water is being treated before channeling to homes is no longer news but the question being raised by people is how safe is the treated water that gets to our homes.
The channeling of water to our homes through pipes is usually done underground and in some cases the pipes crisscross that of sewage through which accidental leakages may happen anytime and contaminate the water.
The Chairman of the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), Mr. Augustine Ebisike, at a presentation on sanitation recently, explained the danger posed by poor sanitation on water sources and bodies.
Ebisike noted that most of the pipes that supply water to the homes pass through some contaminated water through which any accidental leakage can contaminate the water being supplied to homes and eventually create serious health challenge to consumers.
He said water is vulnerable because it can be easily polluted and affect the quality of supply which gets to the people.
Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDQW) which was established to ensure the safety of drinking water supplies and the protection of public health has not received wide acceptance. It was expected that it speeds up the process of upgrading non-protected water systems and improving the management of all drinking water systems in the country.
However in 2005, the National Council on Water Resources (NCWR) recognised the need to urgently establish acceptable Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality which was done by the Federal Ministry of Health, collaborating with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.
Among the principles developed are the protection of drinking water from catchments and source, water quality standard that is comprehensive, realistic and implementable within the resources of the implementing agencies as well as the development of procedures and requirements that ensure good water quality management in order to meet the maximum allowable limits.
However the scope of standard for drinking water is to cover all drinking water which include water from state water agencies, drinking water supplied by community, vendors and water tankers and drinking water used in public or privately owned establishments, food processing by manufacturers as well as privately owned drinking water systems but these acts are not common in the country.
These responsibilities have remained more of a documented fact than in reality going by the standard of the water most people are left to consume.
The question on how safe the water that gets to our homes is remains a thing to ponder about, according to Mariam Ayuba, a housewife, resident in Garki. She said it is difficult to ascertain the safety of the water that is channeled into the homes due to the fact that one cannot see the pipes and source through which the water is being channeled to the homes.
She said that there are only exceptional cases when the taste of the water is a bit bitter due to the heavy presence of chemicals in it. “You can see particles too in the water especially when you allow it to settle down for some time,” she added.
According to Chima Onyebuchi, a civil servant, the water being channeled to homes is not completely pure because most of the pipes are rusted and have particles in them.
He said though one cannot see the dirt most times with the naked eyes, he believes that the water is not safe. “I was opportune to see a busted pipe when it was being fixed in my area, I couldn’t believe I am drinking water from that pipe,” he said.
According to him, the water channeled to homes is without doubt not safe for consumption due to the taste of chemicals in the water sometimes and lack of proper maintenance culture in the country.
He added that water supplied to homes is supposed to be safe after it has been treated and purified before distribution.
Speaking on water supply, the Executive Director of National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) Kaduna, Dr. Olusanjo Bamigboye, said portable water is expensive because it requires a lot to produce.
He said to produce water that is safe for consumption and supply, a lot of chemicals and facilities are required to achieve the best result.
Bamigboye noted that water is an engine that drives the economy of every country and the society behind it and as such, it has cost.
He observed that some of the challenges in having standard water quality are lack of quality control lab and equipment as well as obsolete materials on ground as some of the facilities are observed to be old and rusted, while some are left without maintenance.
Water supply is the collection, purification and distribution of water to households, industrial, commercial or other uses but most of the water accessible to the public has been observed to be polluted.
Water pollution which occurs through the contamination of water bodies such as abuse of lakes, ponds, oceans, rivers and reservoirs seem to be a common feature in most parts of the country and undermines efforts to access to safe drinking water.
Experts have said pollution of water occurs when substances that will modify the water in negative fashion are discharged into it either directly or indirectly.
They said water pollution is an appalling problem, powerful enough to lead the world on a path of destruction.
Water is an easy solvent, enabling most pollutants to dissolve in it easily and contaminate it. The most basic effect of water pollution is directly suffered by consumers and that has resulted in several people dying each day due to consumption of polluted and infected water.