According to a former governor of Abia state and a senator in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assem­bly, Senator Theodore Ahamefule Orji, no fewer than 30,000 Nigerians, mostly children, die annually due to lack of access to clean water and water-related dis­eases. He further said that 330 mil­lion people in the world lack access to potable water. He made these disclosures while commissioning a solar-powered water bore-hole he attracted to Ahuwa Oboro, Ikwua­no Local Government Area of Abia state.

While some may argue that the above figures are exaggerated – having come from one that might be considered as a non-expert in the field of water resources and management – a cursory look at the report card of the country’s potable water situation released by agencies such as Water Aid Nige­ria, and Oxfam Nigeria, is enough to convince any doubting Thomas that the number of Nigerians, par­ticularly children who die annually due to lack of access to clean water, and water related diseases, could be higher than 30,000. For instance, a recent report on the State of the World’s Water released by Water Aid Nigeria revealed that 41 million people living in the Nigeria’s rural areas still have no access to potable water.

Wild Wa­ter: the State of World’s Water

The report christened “Wild Wa­ter: the State of World’s Water,” and released in Abuja, also noted that “663 million people globally are without clean water, and majority of them – 522 million live in rural areas.” Also, Oxfam Nigeria, in a report on the drinking water situa­tion in Nigeria, which was released recently in Abuja, noted that 63 million of the country’s population of about 180 million does not have access to clean water and improved sanitation.

“In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with an estimated population of 170 million people, access to safe water and sanitation is a major challenge with about 39% (63 million people) of the popula­tion lacking access to safe or clean water sources, while nearly 112 million people are without access to improved sanitation,” revealed the Head of Programme, Oxfam Nige­ria, Mr. Constant Tchona, during the celebration of this year’s World Water Day. Mr. Tchona warned that if the dismal state of access to clean water and sanitation is not quickly addressed, it might limit the coun­try’s chances of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) on clean water and sanita­tion.

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About 45,000 children under the age of five die yearly in Nigeria

In fact, according to a recent re­port by the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 45,000 children under the age of five die yearly in Nigeria, from diarrhoea caused by the nation’s poor levels of access to clean water. This figure confirms the disputation that the number of deaths resulting from lack of access to clean drinking water in the country may be higher than the one given by Senator Orji.

Of course, that figure would definitely pale into insignificance when added to the number of youths, men and women who die yearly from water-related diseases.

It must be understood that clean water, which is also known as, potable or improved drinking water, simply means water that is safe to drink or to use for food preparation without the risk of health problems such as diarrhoea and typhoid. It must also be understood that water is essential for life, since it makes up about 60% of weight in men and 55% of weight in women; with infants recording between 70% and 80%. The implication is that for the human being to survive, he or she need adequate water intake, and such water must be clean, otherwise he risks contracting water-related diseases.

Today, the picture on the ground shows that most residents of the country’s major cities rely on drinking water from unsafe sources such as untreated boreholes, water vendors and water sachet prepared in dingy environment. In fact, the explosion of itinerant sachet water (popularly known as pure water) vendors in our towns and cities, symbolises the dearth of running tap water in those areas. This is a far departure from what obtained in the 70s and 80s when water taps in these towns and cities were functional, and ran almost twenty four hours in a day, and seven days in a week. This feat was achieved even when the country’s annual revenue was abysmally low compared to what it is today.

A country such as Nigeria that produces about 2.7 million barrels of crude oil daily, and earns tons of millions of Naira on a daily basis from this single product, should be able to provide its citizens with such indispensable amenity like clean drinking water; a commodity that other countries with relatively lower revenue had effortlessly and seamlessly made available to their citizens.

A situation where cholera and typhoid – diseases traceable to impure water – continue to ravage citizens of this oil-rich country, particularly children, who are leaders of tomorrow, can no longer be condoned.

It is pertinent therefore that the federal, state and local governments should evolve bold and workable policies towards reviving the dead water taps as well as expanding the frontiers of clean water supply to their various constituents.