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Sunday, January 8, 2012

THE GROWING POPULATION AND THE PROVISION OF POTABLE WATER

BY: HUSSEINA BANGSHIKA

The term “water is life” is not only familiar but appropriate, and globally accepted. In July last year, the UN General Assembly recognized the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation, as a human right, essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights. It is unfortunate however, that as an essential resource for life and good health, water is not easily accessible for daily needs, for at least about two thirds of the global population. The situation seems to worsen by the day with population increase and greater demand for water equally for households, the agriculture industry and industrial uses. When such pressure on available potable water remains constant, it is the poor that are always on the receiving end as competition for resources is always powered by the pricing mechanism. Throughout the eighties and nineties, East African countries had encountered various degrees of drought leading to acute food and water scarcity.
Globally, there have been instances of water shortages with severe consequences on the livelihood and survival of several communities. The World Bank estimates that demand for water will exceed supply by 40% by the year 2030. Already about 1.8 billion people live in water scarce regions, while two third of the global population could suffer water related stress by 2025. Though Nigeria has not experienced severe drought in the last 25 years, human activities and climatic changes are already threatening some of its water endowments like the Lake Chad. In the eighties and nineties, most of the state capitals in Nigeria could boast of pipe borne water. A massive rural-urban migration ensued, putting extra strain on existing water infrastructure in those capitals. Since then, rural-urban migration has been on the increase with an attendant shortage in water supply. Besides, while most departments vested with the responsibilities of providing potable water concentrated on urban areas, the rural populace is left largely unattended to. In most cases, these rural dwellers depend on hand dug wells, streams, ponds, rivers, and boreholes. The lack of this essential of life has led to the emergence of water vendors who hawk water from street to street and house to house. Before now, these water vendors were seen only in villages and few urban centers.
The situation has put many communities in both rural and even urban settlements at the mercy of water vendors. It is a fact that building plans these days include boreholes, as if to say there is no hope that water resources departments can fulfill their mandate to Nigerians. Even though large sums of money are reportedly allocated for water, the result is not evident. Experts have often associated the scarcity of potable water in most Nigerian cities and towns to corrupt practices, coupled with the limited capacity by national and local water departments to implement water projects. The United Nations human development report estimated that failure to invest in water and sanitation was costing sub Saharan Africa about 5 percent of its GDP, with similar consequences on the health indices of its people. Nigeria is not short of fresh surface water which can be available for its citizen’s benefit. All that is required is genuine assessment of the water needs of the people, allocation of the resources needed, and the appointment of people of proven capacity to implement. Until this is done, water borne disease will continue to ravage the people and other aspects of development impeded. Since the vast surface water available in the country could be treated and piped for public use, government should pursue that vigorously and regulate the sinking of bore holes to save underground water for the rainy day.
Nigeria should learn from the water crises other countries had experienced in the past, to safeguard it from any form of severe shortage in the future.

Source: FRCN daily Commentary

1 comment:

  1. Humanity has competitors for water resources. Aquatic weeds dessicate your continent from North to South. They turn lakes into marshes, marshes into grasslands and grasslands into deserts. Yes very much to providing yourselves sewage treatment and clean water. But to have ANY water at all to use, you must gain control of the weeds. You'll like the side effects.

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