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

Am international non-profit 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:
Nature For Water, 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.”

Am international non-profit 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: Nature For Water, 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.”