Environment
Ministry Proposes 12-Month Action Plan On Sanitation
The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has proposed a 12-month emergency action plan to scale up access to sanitation and hygiene services in the country’s public spaces.
This was part of the recommendations at the end of a National Retreat on Revitalisation of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
The plan showed that by 2030, every Nigerian would have access to safely managed sanitation and hygiene facilities in cities, small towns, and rural communities.
The plan also stipulates that state and local governments enforce existing building codes and related legislation regarding the minimum number of sanitation facilities required for buildings and facilities.
This would also ensure that where such existing codes and legislations were inadequate, new codes would be drafted and enacted.
In an interview the Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Mr Emmanuel Awe, said there was the need for all tiers of government to institutionalise sanitation as a counterpart to water supply.
The director asserted that ignoring sanitation would be detrimental to the wellbeing of the citizenry.
He expressed regret that most policies and programmes from previous administration was solely on water supply, adding that budgeting for sanitation was important to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“Sanitation cannot be ignored, it is a silent killer. Nigeria can reduce its disease burden by making access to water and sanitation a priority.
“We need to wake up to the reality to advocate for more funding to scale up sanitation and hygiene before the end of the SDGs.”
He said Nigeria could reduce its disease burden with a working sanitation action plan in place, adding that no fewer than 46 million people practice open defecation in the country.
According to him, no fewer than 2.4 million deaths occur annually from poor sanitation, and stressed the need to improve hygiene education to promote behaviour change toward reducing open defecation practices.
He said there was also the need for all stakeholders to wake up to advocate for more funding for sanitation and hygiene.
Awe noted that Nigeria needed three times the present funding for scaling up sanitation, which he said amounted to about 1.3 per cent of its annual Gross Domestic Product.
He disclosed that the ministry was developing a Sanitation Value Chain Strategy to promote investment in addressing the near absence of wastewater and fecal sludge in Nigeria.
This strategy, he said, would include the promotion of innovative technologies that reuse treated fecal sludge and wastewater into economically-viable byproducts, such as fertilisers, bio-gas, and water for irrigation.
He said the ministry was putting measures in place to launch a national campaign to end open defecation in June, 2018 to create awareness on its dangers and what can be done to reverse the trend.
According to him, the ministry is also working to fast-track the ongoing development of the National Policy on Urban Sanitation, which will be approved and disseminated by August. (NAN)
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued a seven-day flood advisory, warning of a medium flood risk in 17 states between July 21 and July 27.
The agency said the alert followed rising water levels at key river monitoring stations, increasing the likelihood of localised flooding along river channels and floodplains.
NIHSA Director-General, Umar Mohammed, disclosed this in National Flood Advisory (Alert No. NFA-2026-200) issued on Tuesday.
He said the affected states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
According to Mohammed, river levels at Saminara on the Karam River, Waya Dam Site on the Waya River and Amber on the Amber River had exceeded watch and warning thresholds.
He said 16 gauging stations nationwide were recording elevated river stages, placing nearby communities at risk of localised flooding.
Mohammed urged state governments, local authorities and residents of flood-prone communities to take precautionary measures immediately.
NIHSA said Bauchi had the highest exposure, with 1,841 communities, 145 schools, 101 health facilities and eight markets identified as vulnerable.
The agency also identified vulnerable communities and public facilities in Edo, Imo, Kaduna, Plateau and Benue states.
Mohammed urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), local governments and community leaders to activate emergency response plans.
He recommended relocating residents, livestock and valuables from floodplains to safer locations
He also advised emergency agencies to pre-position food, medical supplies and water treatment materials in areas likely to be affected.
“The NIHSA boss called for community mobilisation through early warning volunteers and local communication channels to ensure timely dissemination of flood alerts.
He cautioned residents against walking, driving or riding through flooded roads, bridges and fast-flowing waterway.
A cleaner environment begins with collective responsibility. That commitment was evident across Umuahia on Saturday as thousands of residents turned out to participate in the July monthly environmental sanitation exercise, with officials describing the compliance level as one of the most encouraging in recent months.
The impressive turnout has renewed hope that Abia’s campaign for a cleaner and healthier environment is steadily becoming a culture rather than a routine exercise.
The July monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Umuahia recorded about 80% compliance.
The Abia State Ministry of Environment described the turnout as a strong indication that residents are embracing Governor Alex Otti’s vision for a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment, while calling for the establishment of Neighbourhood Environmental Watch groups to sustain the momentum.
The Abia State Government has commended residents of Umuahia for their impressive participation in the July monthly environmental sanitation exercise, describing the turnout as a strong indication that citizens are embracing the state’s campaign for a cleaner and healthier environment.
Speaking after monitoring the exercise across major parts of the Umuahia metropolis, the Permanent Secretary, Abia State Ministry of Environment, Mr. Ikechukwu Oriuwa, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance and urged residents to sustain the momentum.
According to him, the success recorded during the exercise reflects growing public support for the environmental agenda of the Labour Party-led administration.
“I think, so far, so good. At this point, what we need to do is sustain the momentum. We should move forward with establishing a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch so that residents can monitor compliance and ensure the initiative is sustained,” he said.
Mr. Oriuwa further applauded both residents and the organisers for the success of the exercise.
“Well, I must say I am very impressed. I appreciate the organisers for putting this programme together. It has been highly impressive, and I believe participants have learnt a great deal. From what I have observed so far, everything has been well organised, and I think they are doing an excellent job. I encourage them to keep up the good work because programmes like this are beneficial to everyone,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary stressed that environmental sanitation should become a daily culture rather than an activity observed only on designated sanitation days.
Drawing from an Igbo proverb, he explained why communities must collectively protect their environment.
“An Igbo proverb says that a goat owned by the public often goes hungry. That is why establishing a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch is important. It will encourage residents to take collective responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean and ensuring that sanitation efforts are sustained.”
He also urged government agencies to strengthen enforcement by deploying environmental health officers to carry out routine inspections and ensure compliance with sanitation laws.
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