World Water Day: UNICEF Urges Commitment To Provision Of Potable Water

The United Nation Chil
    dren Fund (UNICEF) has urged government at all levels in Nigeria to show serious commitment to provision of potable water in the country.
This was contained in a report released by the organisation to commemorate this year’s World Water Day.  
The report says that Nigeria was not currently on track with regards to its attainment of water and sanitation targets.
According to UNICEF, poor people bear the greatest brunt of lack of access to water and sanitation.
“With some 70 million people without access to safe water, and over 110 million people without access to improve sanitation.
“The poor bear the greatest brunt of this lack of access to water and sanitation.
“For women and girls, collecting water cuts into time they can spend caring for families and studying.  In insecure areas, it also puts them at risk of violence and attack” it said.
The report also said that no fewer than 6000 of them die globally every day from diarrhea diseases linked to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation in poor hygiene.
Meanwhile stakeholders in Rivers State have urged the government to put more efforts towards the provision of water to the citizenry.
A cross section of stakeholders who spoke to The Tide on the issue also blamed the outbreak of cholera in some communities on the lack of clean water for the people.
Mr Isaiah Ekan who spoke to The Tide on the issue said that people were dying every day as a result of lack of water.
He said that, a situation where most people now depend on sachet water and borehole is not in the interest of the society.
Another respondent, Mr Tonye Idi stressed the need for collaboration between the private sector and government in the provision of potable water for the people.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development on the issue proved abortive.
It would be recalled that the World Water Day celebrated last Sunday had the theme, “Water and Sustainable Development.