The Federal Government, in collaboration with Self Help Africa (SHA), has launched two pilot initiatives aimed at improving access to safe drinking water in rural communities across Nigeria.
The projects—Dispensers for Sustainable Rural Water in Nigeria (DiSuRWIN) and Optimizing the Benefits of Inline Chlorination in Nigeria (OPTIC)—were unveiled by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, at a National Stakeholders’ Inception Workshop held in Abuja on Monday.
The workshop brought together representatives of relevant ministries, development partners, civil society organizations and the private sector to agree on a collaborative implementation framework.
Utsev, who was represented by the Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Mr Habu Jamilu, said the initiatives were being implemented in partnership with Self Help Africa, an Irish development charity.
He described the projects as timely interventions to address Nigeria’s water quality challenges.
According to him, although about 67 per cent of Nigerians now have access to basic drinking water services, access to safely managed drinking water remains low.
“Only about 21.7 per cent of the population has access to safely managed drinking water. In many cases, water is contaminated either at the source or at the point of use, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities,” he said.
Utsev noted that unsafe water at the point of collection and consumption continues to pose serious public health risks, stressing the need for interventions that prioritize water quality improvement, disinfection and risk reduction.
He added that the projects were especially significant as Nigeria continues to record recurrent cholera outbreaks linked to contaminated water sources and inadequate treatment practices.
The minister said the ministry, through the Department of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, had intensified drinking water quality surveillance, emergency WASH response and cholera prevention measures in collaboration with development partners, state governments and local councils.
“The DiSuRWIN and OPTIC projects will complement these efforts by strengthening preventive, community-level water safety measures rather than reacting to outbreaks after they occur,” he said.
Utsev explained that DiSuRWIN would deploy chlorine dispensers at strategic water points to ensure consistent and appropriate chlorination of rural water supplies, while OPTIC would test inline chlorination systems integrated directly into water delivery infrastructure.
He said both technologies align with the National Framework for Drinking Water Safety and the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ – NIS 554:2015).
According to him, the ministry will provide technical guidance throughout the project lifecycle and support the integration of the pilots into broader Water Safety Plan frameworks at state and community levels.
Utsev emphasized that sustainable improvements in water quality could only be achieved through strong partnerships.
“Our experience has shown that lasting progress in water safety is best achieved through collaboration among government, development partners, civil society and the private sector,” he said.
He expressed optimism that sustained stakeholder engagement would ensure shared ownership and long-term sustainability of the projects.
Also speaking, Mr Dorgu Ebiye, Development Consultant and State Coordinator for Self Help Africa, said the chlorine dispenser component was designed to meet standard water treatment requirements.
Ebiye explained that the project targets a chlorine concentration of 1.1 grams per liter, using a standard formulation to ensure effective disinfection.
He said the dispenser pilot would be implemented in Garin Malam and Danbatta Local Government Areas of Kano State, with a total of 550 chlorine dispensers to be installed.
“The dispensers will be shared between the two LGAs, with each receiving about 275 units,” he said.
According to him, the project is expected to reach about 110,000 people by the end of the first phase, improving access to safer drinking water at the community level.
Ebiye added that the project adopts a self-sustaining operational model that provides professionalized maintenance services for both the chlorine dispensers and associated water facilities.
“Beyond infrastructure, we are working closely with the Ministry of Health, the Primary Health Care Development Agency and community health extension workers, who will be responsible for chlorine refilling, dosing, monitoring and reporting,” he said.
He noted that the project also prioritizes capacity building through the training of local mechanics and community health workers, while collaborating with Rural Water Supply Agencies and relevant health institutions to support scalability and long-term sustainability.
The 18-month DiSuRWIN pilot has a budget of approximately 721,995 dollars, while the OPTIC project is being implemented in selected communities in Kano and Cross River states to test inline chlorination options for handpumps and piped water schemes.
