By Mohammed Ahmed, Bauchi
WaterAid Nigeria says a staggering 112 million people in Nigeria still do not have access to private toilets.
The Country Director, Dr Evelyn Mere stated this in a statement by the Communications and Media Manager, Mrs Oluseyi Abdulmalik made available to news men on Thursday.
“A staggering 112 million people still do not have access to private toilets of their own, and about 46 million have no choice but to practise open defecation,” she said.
Dr Mere noted that where decent toilets are lacking, human faeces could contaminate the groundwater or end up in rivers and lakes.
According to her, that pollutes the only supply of water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.
“Children play on ground that is rife with pathogens and as a result of faecal contamination, whole communities can contract diarrhoeal diseases,” she said.
Mere added that inadequate sanitation in healthcare centres increases the risk of them becoming the epicentres of epidemics.
“Only 7% of healthcare facilities in Nigeria have access to basic water and sanitation services and only 3.6% to combined water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, which puts the lives of doctors, nurses, midwives and patients at risk,” Dr Mere said
The Country Director also stressed that the impact of climate change on the sanitation crisis highlights the link between poor sanitation and the transmission of preventable illnesses such as cholera.
Dr Mere stressed the urgent need for Nigerian government and the international community to increase investment in sanitation services.
“Safe, reliable, and inclusive sanitation services help prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
“Whilst the world has urgently risen to the challenge of Covid-19, every year hundreds of thousands of lives are silently lost because of lack of clean water, decent toilets and hygiene.
“Having these basic human rights in place helps to stop infectious diseases in its tracks and decent sanitation systems are even more vital as the impact of climate changes bites on vulnerable communities,” she said.
She pointed out that climate change has intensified the sanitation crisis, with increasingly frequent and extreme weather events, destroying toilets and sanitation systems, putting the health and lives of millions of people around the world at risk.
Dr Mere however called on the government to recognise the vital role climate resilient sanitation plays in helping vulnerable communities.
