ASHENEWS reports that WASH projects (water and sanitation) accessibility continues to be a challenge for households, especially in rural areas, the Sokoto state government has disclosed plans to commit its counterpart funding of ₦150 million for the implementation of the sanitation wash project in 2024.
The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Abubakar Dantama disclosed this when he received a team of heads of USAID mission who were in the state to inspect some projects executed under WASH.
He said this was part of the government’s supply sanitation and hygiene commitment.
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Dantama noted that these have been done through multiple strategies towards ensuring rural supply and hygiene across the state.
The special adviser however appreciated the USAID for supporting Nigeria and the state in particular in different areas to improve the living conditions of people.
Some places where the project was executed include Dange Shuni, Gada, and Gwadabawa local government areas, respectively.
As of 2021, 86 percent of urban households had basic water access, while 57 percent of rural residents do.
According to a 2022 report by the World Bank assessment, 114 million Nigerians lacked access to basic sanitation facilities in 2021, and another 70 million lacked access to clean drinking water.
Research conducted by the Africa Water Development Project (RAWDP), confirmed that Sokoto is the only state in Nigeria with the lowest access to clean water.
The consequences of unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) on children can be deadly. Over 700 children under age five die every day of diarrhoeal diseases due to a lack of appropriate WASH services. In areas of conflict, children are nearly 20 times more likely to die from diarrhoeal disease than from the conflict itself.
