Group seeks state of emergency on water crisis as Nigeria celebrates WWD

AN international nonprofit organisation, Wateraid Nigeria, has called for a state of emergency and a presidential taskforce to deliver potable water and sanitation to Nigerians.

The group made the call during the commemoration of World Water Day (WWD) yesterday with focus on the importance of water. This year’s theme: Natureforwater, explores natural solutions to the water challenges in the 21st century.

Wateraid also sought Federal Government’s urgent action to reach the 33 per cent of people without access to clean water through solutions inspired and supported by nature.

It urged a shift in mindsets and implementation approaches to integrate the principles of nature based solutions in all water-related projects; the development of enabling frameworks for such solutions and the integration of local solutions in all sector interventions.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) figures, Nigeria has 67 per cent water coverage.

However, poor water management leaves millions of Nigerians with severe water scarcity during the year. With an estimated 1,530 cubic meters of renewable freshwater available per person per year as at 2015 (a reduction from 2007 levels of 2,085 cubic meters), Nigeria is marked as a water-stressed country.

Country Director of Wateraid Nigeria, Dr. Chichi Aniagolu-okoye said: “Planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands will rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods.”