Water undoubtedly forms the basis of human survival. An
average human being can live several days without food but only a few without
water. We may look around us today and see a vast area of water coving the
earth but unfortunately, 97.5% of the totality of water is saline. What
percentage of fresh water do we have left for consumption? Almost negligible – 7billion people and growing! We
may not have heard the cry of the affected; this is not because they are
voiceless, but because we do not care to listen.
From Genesis, the amount of fresh water has remained almost
constant, recycled by convection, but the population has exploded ever since.
This means the competition for safe water to sustain life has intensified.
To some, water scarcity exists only in the papers, but to
many a virulent reality. While a large quantity of available water in the
developed world end up in the sinks, in most parts of the developing countries
hard to come by or in exchange for a reasonable price. For example, a five
minute shower in an American household will use more water than a person living
in a developing world slum will use in a whole day. Even though it seems like
an endless natural resource, we now know better.
According to a research conducted in 2006, one third of all
nations suffered from clean water scarcity but, sub-Saharan Africa had the
largest number of countries in a state of absolute scarcity with about 40% of
its total
800million population affected.
The most immediate impact of water scarcity on the continent
is on the health of its people. According to Child Health Epidemiology
Reference Group (CHERG), 2012, Diarrhoea is the biggest killer of children
under 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa (500 times greater than in Europe).
Worldwide Universal access to safe drinking water would save 2.5million lives
every year.
Lack of access to safe drinking water has serious effects on
Education, as it affects the academic performance of students, even the best
students lose momentum when they have to deal with stomach pain and diarrhoea,
it also reduce the attendance rate of students as they walk several miles to
fetch water when they ought to be in their respective classes. On the average,
women in Africa walk 3.7miles daily to collect water. Education is important to
break he chain of poverty but some of these students become orphans and often
drop out of school to fend for their younger siblings.
Nigeria, the most populated African country with an estimated
population of about 160 million people and growing so rapidly. As the
population increases, remote communities are cut off and urban facilities
become congested. Let us go over the facts according to WaterAid Nigeria.
63.2million people does not have access to safe water, over 112 people lack
access to adequate sanitation – about 2 thirds of the population, 97, 000
children die annually from diarrhea, caused by unsafe water and poor
sanitation. These figures are disheartening. A country like Nigeria should not
experience water scarcity, given the abundant water resources present within
its boundaries. The Niger River Basin alone covers over 60% of the total land
area, we have the chad basin, several other streams and lakes which can be
channelled into water treatment plants and subsequently distributed to the end
users.
According to a credible report, from 1999-2007, 357.86billion
was allocated by the government to the provision of safe drinking water. But
today, the problem is still far from solved. This is not a means to criticize
any government. It is a wake-up call to every key player in the water sector,
end users and policy makers alike to rise up to the task of ending water
scarcity. Effective water distribution and management is the duty of every man,
black or white, young or old.
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