Director, Water Quality
Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mr Samuel Ome,  has said that six new laboratories were under construction to improve quality of water across the country.
Ome told newsmen in Abuja that the laboratories in the six geopolitical zones were being constructed to ensure better water quality for citizens.
He said that the six existing laboratories were inadequate due to the country‘s large population.
“We have six operational laboratories; we are building additional six now; our target is that each state will have one, so that all together we will have 37 laboratories in the whole federation.
“In order to ascertain the quality of water consumed by the people, the need for more laboratories cannot be over-emphasised.
“The laboratories take care of the chemical side of testing for water, the micro-biological side where the pathogens that cause diseases are discovered.
“When the physical aspects of water have been sorted, the chemical aspect of it has to be taken care of by the laboratories. “
The director said when potable water was provided most water-borne diseases would be reduced, adding that they (diseases) amount for 70 per cent of tropical diseases in the country.
“Seventy per cent of tropical diseases are water-borne.
“If we provide potable water, occurrence of water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea, and scabies will be non-existent,“ he said.
Ome, however, said that people could prevent the diseases by using test kits to test for iron, magnesium and other essential elements.
He emphasised the need for more laboratories to conduct thorough tests on water before consumption by the populace.
He said it was a matter for regret that diarrhoea alone kills no fewer than 150,000 under-five children annually.
The director said diarrhoea is responsible for one-quarter of all child deaths, for the poorest Nigerians, stressing it needs collective efforts.
“We are testing villages under our comprehensive Rural Water Surveillance Programme, for now, we are supplying the kits, we believe one day it will be available everywhere, “ he said.
On guidelines for drinking water quality, the director said it‘s the sole responsibility of the WHO to provide guidelines, saying the ministry has a National Drinking Water Standard already in place.
He added that the ministry was working with all stakeholders to strengthen River Basins across the country to increase access to potable water for all Nigerians.