The Manager, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), UNICEF Maiduguri, Mammita Thakkar has stressed the need for States to declare a “State of Emergency” on WASH and develop an action plan to address it.
Thakkar who said this in Maiduguri at a One-Day Media Dialogue said Nigeria must invest at least $5.3billion an equivalent of N1.9trillion on WASH to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target by 2030.
The investment she added needs to be co-funded by federal and states budgets.
Thakkar said this was the only strategy for the country to make tangible strides towards reaching the Federal Government’s 2025 target of ending open defecation in the country.
Analysing the impact of poor WASH service she lamented that “Currently, Nigeria losses about 1.3 per cent in GDP annually which is equivalent to ₦455 billion due to poor access to sanitation.
“102,000 children under 5 die each year from diarrhea and 90 per cent of these deaths are directly linked to unsafe water and sanitation.
She disclosed that one in four children under five years exhibit severe stunting while one in 10 is wasted due to frequent episodes of diarrhea and other WASH-related illnesses.
“1 in 4 children under 5 exhibit severe stunting while 1 in 10 are wasted due to frequent episodes of diarrhea and other WASH related illnesses.
While noting that effective and sustained adoption of handwashing remains a challenge for UNICEF, she revealed that “Currently, only 14 per cent of schools have basic water supply and sanitation services while the national access to basic sanitation stays at 44 per cent.
“58 per cent of households which is approximately 115 million people, have no hand washing facility within the premises.
“Only 16 per cent of households have hand washing facility on the premises with water and soap, which is approximately 32 million people,”.
She noted that only seven per cent of health facilities and 14 per cent of markets and motor parks had access to basic water supply and sanitation services.
She noted that frequent episodes of WASH-related diseases has made victims to be absent from school or work, as they take time off to heal or take care of a sick relative.
Thakkar said that the diseases also reduce school enrollment and attendance due to time lost in search of water, including poor access to menstrual hygiene management facilities in schools.
She however called on Government at the federal, state and local levels to develop a separate budget line for WASH and establish or strengthen relevant institutions for urban, semi-urban, and rural WASH service delivery.
