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To reduce the growing
burden of water-borne diseases, infant deaths among other socio-economic
crisis, especially in the Niger Delta region, experts are concerned about
access to potable water.
Specifically, the United
Nations Children Fund has said that lack of access to potable water increases
conflicts and agitation; reduces good hygiene and productivity.
In view of this, the UN
interventionist agency in partnership with the European Union (EU) is deploying
environmentally-friendly technology, resources and expertise to reduce and
gradually eliminate water-related diseases killing children in various states
in the Niger Delta.
The motive is to
encourage governments to expand the systems to enable more Nigerians have
sustainable access to sanitation and safe water.
Recently, Akwa Ibom
State, where access to clean water seems a mirage, became the focus of the
agencies.
The Akwa Ibom State
Government, UNICEF in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Information and EU
recently, gathered journalists at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to examine challenges
of lack of drinkable water in the state.
The workshop on Water
Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) brought notable journalists in a roundtable to
learn from experts and become part of the solutions to a mountain-like problem.
Presenters were,
Mr. Moustapha Niang, a ‘WASH specialist; Martha Hokonya, also a WASH
specialist; Nse Edem, the Permanent Secretary, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of
Political, Legislative Affairs and Water Resources; Edinyanga Pius
Ukpong, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) Chairman and
Geoffrey Njoku, UNICEF Senior Communication Specialist among others.
Diarrhea was identified
as the third highest cause of death in children.
Advantages of sanitation
were discussed by the presenters. Clean procedures help to reduce morbidity and
mortality; healthcare expenditure and poverty. It also increases productivity,
school attendance and income generation opportunities.
Martha Hokonya, in her
presentation said access to water and proper sanitation could reduce poverty
through decrease in morbidity, mortality, reduction in health expenditures, and
so on.
She said EU, UNICEF and
the WASH Akwa Ibom, State, have been developing various innovative approaches
to end water-related deaths in rural communities.
She said UNICEF and its
partners with effective knowledge management produced learning-based approaches
and evidence-based advocacy and programmes to stop the menace in communities.
Moustapha Niang, a ‘WASH
specialist,’ in his presentation, ‘Water, supply and quality in the Niger
Delta,’ emphasised on the need for proper orientation of the rural populace to
adopt attitude change and embrace water safe plan from source, storage to point
of use.
He urged government at
all levels to ensure provision of public toilet in public facilities as a means
to discourage open defecation and consequences associated with it.
Niang also recommended
constant monitoring of water quality to detect contamination, while encouraging
the establishment of a water sanitation committee in all communities across the
region.
“Prioritise the potential
hazards and mitigate such hazards through the entire water chain to ensure that
water reaching the consumer is safe and acceptable. Develop their community
plan. Avoid for citing potable water source around nearby latrines and areas
fertilized for agricultural purposes,” he stressed.
Addressing the meeting,
Nse Edem, the Permanent Secretary, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Political,
Legislative Affairs and Water Resources, said that the State is committed to
the provision of safe water for the people of the state and is ready to
partner UNICEF.
To see the work done by
all the interventionist agencies, journalists toured the three communities –
Ikot Ikpene, Ikot Ukpong and Ikot-Esop in Nsit Atai Local Government Areas
(LGA) of Akwa-Ibom State. They wanted to see whether the agencies were really
walking their talk.
The trip was to enable
the participants see how safe drinking water and hygiene has improved lives of
communities in Akwa-Ibom State.
Edinyanga Pius
Ukpong, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) Chairman and
his committee members commended UNICEF and EU for introducing them to a new hand
washing technology.
Ukpong told our
correspondent: ““So, we use a rope and stick to construct a tippy tap. WASHCOM
took us through hand washing facility training so that when people finish using
the toilet they can wash their hands before going to their houses.
The WASHCOM Chairman
further explained, “The tippy tap is distributed in the entire household in the
community. The village council bought it, I teach people how to use it but, I
first demonstrate to them before I teach them.”
The United Nations (UN)
agency for children further said that poor Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
causes more than half of global diarrhea diseases.
It explained that poor
WASH remains the second leading cause of deaths and other health hazards among
children under the age of five.
The international agency
noted that the chemical contaminations resulting from oil and gas exploration
in the Niger Delta region has made it necessary for efforts to be made to
ensure safe and constantly checked water for human consumption.
UNICEF therefore tasked
governments across the Niger Delta states to invest consciously in the
provision of safe water supply and sanitation for its rural populace.
The provision of such
basic social amenity, according to UNICEF would encourage hand washing and
other hygienic practices among school-age children and rural populace.
UNICEF said, “Poor WASH
causes more than half of global diarrheal diseases, which remains the second
leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under the age of five.
“WASH also contributes to
other goals including Nutrition (stunting) and maternal and new born health.
“It improves productivity
– by lessening the time spent by women and children to fetch water, reducing
stunting and school attendance and performance especially by girls.
The UN agency added,
“WASH improves social bonding and mitigates conflicts through involvement of
WASHCOMs, communities and their leadership in planning, management &
implementation of projects.”
