‘Lack of water increases number of school drop-outs in rural areas’

What is your assessment of water and sanitation in Kaduna State?       
With the coming of the present administration, much has been said about water quality and sanitation. In fact, a special unit is in place under the auspices of Water and Sanitation (WATSAN), basically to adhere to hygiene best practices. But it is appalling to see that at the peak of rainy season, drainages are blocked and homes are submerged and everywhere is turned into a mess. Poor water and sanitation especially affect women and children. Women have to trek for miles, in some places, to the river to fetch water for cooking, washing and bathing among others. Furthermore, the quality of water they use daily is in doubt, thereby exposing them to water borne diseases and a high mortality rate. Also, lack of good sanitation and adequate toilet facilities affect children, women, and mothers because where there is inadequate water supply or none at all, filthy and unhealthy environment flourishes.  Women need to do more to maintain themselves and their children. It is observed that even in the so-called cities, a lot of people are not familiar with the hygiene practices like washing of hands after the use of toilets, mainly because of lack of water. A lot of rural areas still lack access to potable drinking water, with great implication on the health and wellbeing of the people. It is worthy of note that provision of adequate water supply is one of the cardinal objectives of every government, and budgetary provisions are made to address the issue of water supply. But in some of our cities, water supply is inadequate. A good example is that of Zaria city and its environs. As it is said, water sustains life and the socio-economic well-being of the people is mirrored by their standard of living. The mainstay of the people in the rural areas is farming. But without drinking water they are forced to migrate to urban areas in search of greener pasture. Also, lack of water brings about downward trend in the rate of school enrolment, especially in the rural areas because children stay back to help their parents fetch water for domestic use. As for the girl-child, leaving school can lead them into vices bedevilling the state.

Some residents of the state are of the opinion that water from water board is not clean, do you agree with that?
This not false and this can be corroborated in season like this, I mean the rain season. Water supply most times is coloured, with unpleasant smell and taste. With this, it is difficult to wash white clothes and it is difficult for other people to use the water directly without allowing it to settle down. Others have argued that underground pipes are obsolete. There is the need for the government to do more in that regard because water is essential.  

What can you say about refuse disposal in Kaduna State?
Mechanisms are said to be in place with the state government and other private initiatives to improve the situation. But on the whole, we are still battling with refuse dumped all over the places, because there is inadequate waste disposal system and individuals find it convenient to dispose refuse anywhere, especially when it is raining. It is more worrisome for the simple fact that the young people whose business is collecting refuse end up depositing the refuse anywhere too, thereby worsening the situation and causing environmental pollution and other health hazards. Visibly, we see refuse collection vans in Kaduna but not all places can lay such claims. In the mornings, the major roads are swept but for our hinterlands, the stories are not the same. The government’s SURE-P programme in the area of keeping the major streets clean is good but how well it has impacted is another ball game that we may or may not be in agreement with.