Portable Water: Lack of access and the scourge of water-borne diseases
Social amenities remain a critical subject among the discourse of the societal configurations in Nigeria. While in the assessment of the profile of living standards the place of social amenities remains critical, it is however against the beauty of rationality that the fittings of social amenities in the Country largely remain within the frame of unappealing preference. Among several social amenities, the subject of portable water in the Country has become a matter of concern. The crumbling of the infrastructures for portable water provisions across the Country has left unsavoury narratives for several communities. The narratives have been much tough for communities where water has been a luxury.
The Country appears deeply to be suffering from a high rate of water-borne diseases owing to dilapidated infrastructure and inadequate investment in portable water. In such communities plagued with inadequate or unavailability of portable water, the plight of citizens who without choice resort to unclean water unhealthy for consumption, has continued to heap up narratives of cholera outbreak across the Country. Nigeria’s North has been typical of this disease, among others. No less than 22 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, had recently recorded high rate of cholera outbreak. As of November 21, 2021, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had disclosed that Nigeria had recorded a total of 3,566 deaths and 103,589 suspected cholera cases across 32 States of the Federation and the FCT – a 3.4 per cent Case Fatality Ratio. According to the NCDC, four States – Bauchi (19,470 cases); Jigawa (13,293 cases); Kano (12,116 cases); and Zamfara (11.918 cases) account for 55 per cent of all cumulative cases. Early December, the Centre had disclosed that Cholera had claimed more lives in Nigeria than the much alarming COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in 2021. The Director General, NCDC, Ifedayo Adetifa, had said the Country has recorded “a little more than 3,600” deaths from cholera in the last 11 months while the total fatalities recorded from coronavirus since 2020 when the index case was recorded still stood at 2,977, as at the 31st of November, 2021. Adetifa, in an interview on Channels Television morning programme – “Sunrise Daily,” while giving update on the Omicron COVID-19 variant found in Nigeria, had disclosed that while cholera outbreaks were recorded in different States at different times, some of the States have had short outbreaks, while others have had protracted outbreaks. “We are dealing with some fresh outbreaks, there is a connection between this and the rainy season, for example. So when you’ve got the rains and areas with open defecation, and normal water sources are then flooded by rainwater and mixed and then you have a problem,” he had said. He had in his submission urged State authorities to invest in water and sanitation across the Federation.
Following Wednesday’s (22, December, 2021), Federal Executive Council meeting, it was disclosed that a sum of N3.51billion has been approved by the Council for Water Resources projects. Making the development known to State House Correspondents on Wednesday after the week’s virtual FEC meeting presided over by the President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Minister of Water Resources, Sulaiman Adamu, had said his ministry obtained approval for the execution of two water projects in Gashua, Yobe State. According to him, the projects became expedient owing to rising spate of kidney diseases and kidney failure among people living in Gashua in the last few years. According to him, both water projects were approved at the sum of N3.51bn. Giving the breakdown, he said while one is to extend water supply service to Zango and Sabongeri Lamido, the other project is for an upgrade of existing waterworks. He was quoted: “Council today (Wednesday) approved a memo for the execution of two contracts for Gashua Water Supply Project (phase 2) in Yobe State. For “Lot A” is the sum of N1.27bn and “Lot B” is the sum of N2.24bn. Essentially, one lot is for extension of the water-supply service to Zango and Sabongeri Lamido, comprising of battery, boreholes, submersible pump, solar panels and so on, and the other contract is for the upgrading of the existing waterworks, which also includes rehabilitation of some elevated tanks, provision of potable water treatment plants and a host of other ancillary-facilities. The contract is for 18 months and essentially, this contract was awarded to address the acute water supply situation in Gashua, which is well within the Sahelian region and also because in recent years there has been some prevalence of kidney diseases and kidney failures and a quick intervention were required so that we’ll be able to address this situation. In the interim, the National Water Resources Institute under my ministry is conducting an investigation as to why this high prevalence of kidney disease in the area. So, Council graciously approved these two contracts.”
Nigeria’s teeming population is threatened with a number of water-borne diseases as a result of poor water facilities. The gross deficits in the availability of portable water for consumption have put challenges of worsening health problems before the Country. Cholera outbreak as a health emergency in the Country is avoidable. As much as such allocations by FEC are needed for intervention to change the prevailing narratives, the gross deficits make them inadequate with the pressing demands. Just as the demands for more virile infrastructures for an elaborate water system is paramount, the need to fortify the structures of monitoring mechanisms to ensure the emerging allocations for the slated projects are optimally utilised for the intended objectives, remain sacrosanct to eliminate the infiltration of human infractions and poor administrative mechanisms.
