Safe Water: Increase Access To Meet SDGs Goal – UNICEF
By Chioma Umeha To meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goal six by 2030, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said that Nigeria must intensify efforts in ensuring access to portable water supply. The United Nations body is worried that 15 million Nigerians still drink water from rivers, lakes, ponds, streams and irrigation canals and have tasked the Federal Government to improve access to safe drinking water. Moustapha Niang, UNICEF specialist, who spoke recently, during a two-day media dialogue on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WASH, organised by UNICEF in partnership with the Child Right Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Ministry of Information, expressed concern over lack of safe drinking water in the country. Niang said that 57 million Nigerians lacked access to potable water supply and added that more than half of this figure lives in rural areas. He noted that accessibility to safe water can save the lives of most under-five childre