Tuesday, March 22, 2016

63 Million Nigerians Lack Access to Potable Water’
By Abbas Jimoh
Nigeria Daily Trust
Mar 22 2016 5:56PM

Sixty-three million of Nigeria’s 170 million estimated population lack access to safe water and sanitation, while about 112 million people are without access to improved sanitation despite the progress made by the mdg project, the oxfam nigeria has said.

The head of programmes oxfam nigeria mr. constant tchona said in abuja as part of today's activities marking the world water day celebration that the 63 million represents about 39 per cent of the total population and that water and sanitation coverage rates in nigeria remain amongst the lowest in the world.

This year’s theme that would be celebrated today is “better water, better jobs”.

The united nations general assembly designated 22 march 1993 as the first world water day, to highlight the suffering of members of the global population who lack access to water, provide information on water and sanitation that inspires people to take action and change things for the better.

He said and unless there is improvement of the situation the sustainable development goals (sdg) six which is “clean water and sanitation” may not be achieved and that his organisation and its nigerians and other global partners support actions that speak out for the voiceless for change of the situation.

“Today, half of the world’s workers 1.5 billion people work in water-related sectors. Moreover, nearly all jobs, regardless of the sector, depend directly on water. yet, despite the indelible link between jobs and water, millions of people whose livelihoods depend on water are often not recognized or protected by basic labour rights,” tchona said.

According to him in Nigeria, the burden of fetching water continues to fall on women and young girls, who often walk an average of 4kms every day to collect water and typically carry 20 litre jerry cans on their heads all the way home for this unpaid work.

He therefore appeal to the corporate organisations to come to the aid of the rural communities by supporting efforts at making people to have access to good water so that we would have a society free of disease and hunger.

While saying that the world is in the midst of global water, sanitation and hygiene crisis, with about 800 million people worldwide having no access to water, he said more people are without access to sanitation and nearly 3.5 million people die annually from water-related diseases with about 1.7 million children under the age of 5 among the people who die each year from diarrheal disease.

Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/63m-nigerians-lack-access-to-potable-water/139027.html#q33dxEa4WVV5XbGL.99

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