For every 2,000 children aged under five who die every from diarrhoea, more than 1,800 of those deaths are actually linked to water, sanitation and hygiene, evidence suggests.
Seven civil society groups advocating child and family health have raised concern unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and lack of hygiene affecting the health, safety and quality of life of children.
In statements marking World Water Day, the groups, under aegis of the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health, said, “Diarrhoea, often caused by unclean water and poor sanitation and hygiene practices, has remained one of the biggest killers of children under age five in Nigeria.”
Up to 97,000 children die from diarrhoea each year, according to the latest National Demographic Health Survey.
Nearly 4 out of every 10 households have no access to improved water sources—and hence report more incidence of diarrhoea than others.
“To stop diarrhoea, there is need for government and key stakeholders to prioritise access to potable water,” said Ayuba Ibrahim, programme director for operations at the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, a PacFAH partner, in a joint briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
The group also called for “proven medication and services” to manage episodes of diarrhoea.
Thirsting for a future
United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organisation estimate up to 63 million have no access to improved drinking water sources. (See slideshow below)
That makes Nigeria third after India and China among countries without access to improved water sources in the world.
In its latest report, Thirsting for a Future: Water and Children in a Changing Climate, UNICEF said depleted sources of safe water impacted children’s lives and wellbeing—and climate change will intensify these risks in coming years.
The report says Nigeria and 36 other countries currently face “extremely high levels” of water stress.
That’s when more than 80% of water available for agriculture, industry and domestic use is withdrawn each year.
“Water is elemental; without it, nothing can grow,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.
“But around the world, millions of children lack access to safe water — endangering their lives, undermining their health, and jeopardizing their futures. This crisis will only grow unless we take collective action now.”
Not even clean, just water
Nigeria’s greatest challenge is availability of physical infrastructure to harness rainfall and ground water effectively, the report said.
Rainfall varies from north to south of the country, making it “all the more important” to better plan and manage water resources to minimise the impact of floods and drought.
“In Nigeria, as we work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of reaching everyone with access to safe, functional, affordable and accessible water, we must manage water resources more efficiently to meet the needs of Nigeria’s growing population and economic development,” noted Kannan Nadar, UNICEF’s chief of water, sanitation and hygiene.
“In critical areas, you can’t find the water,” said Chinwe Onumonu, coordinator of Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP).
“We are not talking about clean water—just water. We need to be conscious of things we do.”
Water links to health
AAFP, a PACFaH partner, alongside others have linked safe water to family planning, routine immunisation, nutrition, and poverty eradiation.
Its #increaseaccess2familyplanning says many mothers die from preventable causes and campaigns for increased uptake of family planning commodities and services so “more mothers will be alive and healthy to cater for their children.”
The Community Health Research Initiative, according to its director Aminu Magashi, advocates closing gaps in immunisation by increasing vaccine funding, insisting children need immunity to be “strong enough to fight water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea.”
And a third partner, Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria, calls for implementing the national policy on nutrition to children get enough nutrition to fight off childhood diarrhoea, according to its director Beatrice Eluaka.
Growing population and rising need for water, alongside higher water demand for industrial use, drain water resources.
200 million hours
Conflicts also threaten access to water, the report notes, forcing children to use unsafe water, which exposes them to potentially deadly diseases like cholera and diarrhoea.
At least 800 children under the age of five die every day around the world from diarrhoea linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene;
UNICEF is concerned about children in drought-affected areas spending hours every day collecting water, missing out on a chance to go to school.
In such situation, girls are especially vulnerable to attack, it notes.
Globally, women and girls spend 200 million hours collecting water every day.
The poorest and most vulnerable children will be most impacted by an increase in water stress, as millions of them already live in areas with low access to safe water and sanitation.
