Nigeria, as well as other countries in the sub-Saharan Africa, have continued to suffer from poor access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities.
The development, according to the World Health Organisation, (WHO), has led to the spread of diseases in the region. According to its latest report, only 54 percent of people in the region have access to safe drinking water.
The report said if the current trends persist, billions of children and families will be left vulnerable by 2030.
The report lamented the inequalities in the region, adding that this had made many families vulnerable. It stated: “To achieve universal access to safely managed drinking water by 2030, the current rate of progress in the least developed countries would need to increase ten-fold”.
It stressed the need for international agencies, governments, civil society and the private sector to prioritise Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) coverage at the highest levels of decision making.
The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in his comment, said that it has become important for nations to prioritize their investment in water, sanitation and hygiene.
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) official, Henrietta Fore, noted that even before the pandemic, millions of children and families were suffering without clean water, safe sanitation and a place to wash their hands.
