IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
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By Comfort Joseph, Lagos.
Source:Google
Fresh water is only 2.5% of the total volume of water resources on earth. According to United Nation-water and inter-agency mechanism established in 2003, each person needs 20-50 liters of safe clean water daily to ensure their basic needs for drinking,cooking and cleaning.According to the water supply and sanitation collaborative council,every 20 seconds a child dies from poor sanitation.Climate change and population growth are fueling a global shortage of water causing stress on supply and capacities of sewage structures to keep water clean. People living in impoverished, desertified areas continue to suffer from drought as well as sickness and death from unclean water sources; rich countries such as the UK face acute water stress in areas where population are continuing to grow and wastewater treatment facilities are struggling to cope.
A new report by UNICEF and the World Health organization reveals that a staggering 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safe drinking water and 4.2 billion lack safe sanitation services currently. Around a quarter of the world's population live in areas facing "extreme water stress". The Massachusetts institute of technology has calculated that by 2050, 5 billion people more than half the global population will live in water stressed regions-meaning that they can not rely on their water supplies to meet their needs.2.5 billion people, including almost a billion children live without basic sanitation.
Profoundly impoverished region that cuts across West Africa-around half a million people die from diseases such as cholera as a result of this water crisis which do not only affects drinking water but sanitation each year. As the demand for water increases,the capacity to safely remove and dispose of sewage is increasingly compromised.
in January 2020,World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General cited the absence of water,toilets,soap, and waste management in homes/health care facilities among the most urgent global challenges of this decade. As we have seen in recent months,global health has a direct impact on economies and more importantly,the well-being of people. As we navigate this global health crisis,there is the need to protect population all over the world and make sure that our collective recovery is synonymous with positive change.
According to UNICEF, poor water supply and sanitation costs the Nigeria economy about 1.3% of GDP annually, which is about NGN1.9 trillion .These loses are reflected in lost productivity due water and sanitation related diseases ,time spent in accessing water and sanitation services.Avoidable expenses by government and households to address the diseases and the lost human capacity in malnutrition and mortality.Progress to address this water and sanitation crisis has been accelerated by the declaration of a state of emergency by the Federal Government in November 2018 and the launch of a National Action plan for the revitalization of the sector.
Access to water, sanitation and hygiene are human rights and crucial for good outcomes in health, nutrition,education,gender equality,livelihoods and for the socioeconomic development of a country. A lack of access to these basic life-saving services impact virtually all aspects of human development, disproportionately affecting he life chances of women and girls.
Goal 6 of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) is focused on ensuring inclusive and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for all.However, in lower and middle income countries like Nigeria, millions of people are without access to clean water and sanitation which leads to deaths as a result of the diseases associated with these problems. According to the Water,Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping(WASHNORM)2018,about 55 million Nigerians still do not have access to clean water supply services,110 million lack decent toilets and over 47 million practice open defecation.
SOLUTIONS
-Safe and affordable drinking water "By 2030,To achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all"
-Safe sanitation and hygiene-the proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b)hand washing facility with soap and water
-Improved water quality ,wastewater treatment and safe reuse. By 2030,improve water quality by reducing pollution,eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
-Integrated water management
-Protect and restore water related ecosystems including mountains, forests,wetlands,rivers,and lakes
A clean water is a basic human need,and one that should be easily accessible to all. There is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However,due to poor infrastructure, investment and planning,every year millions of people -most of them children- die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.