25 March 2009
editorial
Lagos — The world recently celebrated the World Water Day (WWD), with a theme 'Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities'. Despite various efforts made by the Federal Government and other concerned stakeholders like WaterAid, adequate provision of water has remained a nationwide problem. Abimbola Akosile and Senator Iroegbu analyse a vital Millennium Development Goal (MDG), which has a significant impact on the economy
Global Wisdom Call
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has underscored the potential of water as a unifying force rather than a catalyst for conflict.
In a message to mark World Water Day, observed annually on 22 March, Ban stressed that the world's collective future depends on how it manages the precious resource.
"More than ever we need to work together to use it wisely. While the world's growing population is consuming more freshwater, climate change is making less water available in many regions as glaciers recede, rainfall becomes less predictable, and floods and droughts become more extreme. Managing water carefully and balancing the varied needs for it is vital," he stated.
Much of the planet's water, above or below ground, is shared. Forty per cent of the world's people live in 1 of 263 basins that are shared by two or more countries. Concern over the possibility of violent disputes features regularly in discussions about sharing limited water resources.
But while the potential exists for water to act as a catalyst for conflict between States and communities, precedent suggests that the opposite is actually what happens," Ban noted. "Cooperation, not conflict, is the most common response by people facing competing demands."
"I urge Governments, civil society, the private sector and all stakeholders to recognise that our collective future depends on how we manage our precious and finite water resources," he said.
The head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) also used his World Water Day message to stress that investing in the world's freshwaters could be one of the keys to aiding global economic recovery.
"The global water market for supply, sanitation and water efficiency is worth over $250 billion and is likely to grow to nearly $660 billion by 2020," Executive Director Achim Steiner noted. "This represents new businesses and new employment prospects for developed and developing economies."
"Meanwhile, an investment of $15 billion a year towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal of halving by 2015 the number of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation could generate global economic benefits worth $38 billion annually," he added.
Seeking Legislative Intervention
Members of the National Assembly have been enjoined to collaborate with donor agencies and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to ensure that funds allocated to water supply and sanitation in Nigeria are well utilised.
The legislators were also asked to address the policy inconsistency in the merger and demerger of the Water Resources Ministry, with a view to ensuring stability of the sector.
The calls formed part of a communiqué issued at the end of a one day Water and Sanitation Stakeholders meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Water Resources held recently in Abuja.
The sensitisation meeting was organised by the Water and Sanitation Monitoring Platform in collaboration with UNICEF and WaterAid Nigeria, according to the communiqué, which was made available to THISDAY by WaterAid media officer, Mr. Bankole Ebisemiju.
The workshop was to sensitise legislators on effective inter-sectoral/monitoring of developments in the provision of improved drinking water sources and basic sanitation facilities in Nigeria.
In attendance were members of the committee, representatives of Water and Sanitation Monitoring Platform, WaterAid, UNICEF and the media. The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Terngu Tsegba, delivered a good will message from the Speaker of the House of Representative, Rt. Hon. Oladimeji Bankole.
He disclosed that the Committee was already working on a Bill to ensure public-private sector and community participation in the area of Water Resources and Sanitation.
Various presentations were made at the workshop, followed by group discussions and brainstorming on accelerating progress for achieving MDGs Water and Sanitation targets; with several observations by participants of the water scenario in Nigeria.
At the end of deliberation, participants observed that Nigeria is not on track in meeting the MDG target on use of water from improved sources.
According to the participants, progress in sanitation coverage is very minimal. "If Nigeria continues at current rate only 57.8 million people out of the estimated 170 million people will have access to improved sanitation facilities in 2015. This figure will represent 61.2 million people short of the MDG target on improved sanitation" the forum observed.
The workshop noted that water and sanitation is central to achieving the MDG targets on Education, Health among other MDGs targets; and that Nigeria was the only country in West Africa with declining coverage for water and sanitation.
Among other recommendations, participants said efforts should be intensified to educate rural communities on filtration as an alternative for effective water supply and improving quality of drinking water.
The implementation of the Water Investment Mobilisation and Application Guidelines (WIMAG) was also identified as a key to addressing the huge funding gap in the sector; and participants agreed to pass a resolution calling for its implementation by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
Suing for a Right
The Registered Trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have sued the Federal Government over its "failure to provide access to safe and affordable water and sanitation services for about 80 million of Nigeria's estimated 140 million people".
Joined as Defendants in the suit are: President Umaru Yar'Adua; Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources; Minister of Interior, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
The group, in a suit filed on March 20 by SERAP's lawyer, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said, "The right to water is a fundamental human right, and the failure or negligence of the defendants to respect, protect, promote and fulfill the right of millions of Nigerians to safe and affordable water and sanitation services have continued to contribute to the violations of other human rights".
These include the right to equal treatment; the right to a general satisfactory environment; the right to health; the right to life; and the right to human dignity and security.
"Without access to improved and safe water supply Nigeria cannot achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; and ensuring environmental sustainability", the group postulated.
The plaintiffs sought three declarative reliefs and three injunctions (orders), in a bid to drive home their demands.
These included an order directing the defendants to adopt legislation and regulations at all levels of government implementing the standards set forth in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other relevant human rights treaties and declarations.
They also sought another order directing the defendants to develop and faithfully implement a comprehensive and coherent action plan to build, maintain, replace, and overhaul/rehabilitate existing water infrastructure and facilities in the country.
The Suit, filed in a Lagos High Court, is supported by a 36-paragraph affidavit sworn to by Adetola Adeleke, SERAP's Litigation Clerk. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.
Best Water Practice
An example of stakeholders intervention - which has been described as key to adequate water provision in Nigeria - is reflected in various water projects engineered by WaterAid International, with specific mention of Ekiti State.
In Ekiti State, WaterAid's efforts are concentrated in 2 Local Government Areas of Ikole and Ilejemeje with 3 communities picked in each including Aba Audu, Aba Ita and Ikoyi Ile in Ikole, while Ipere, Eda Oniyo and Iludun from Ilejemeje.
In all the communities the impact of the water projects are visible as mostly women and children who are the most affected by lack of access to water were eased by the presence of both manual and electric generated water pumps.
One of the women in Ikole LGA, Mrs. Joke Adeniran, said that the good impact of the WaterAid project can not been easily captured as they used to suffer a lot to access water. "The way to the only stream we have is far, and the water is not hygienic because it is a multipurpose stream for washing clothes, bathing, and drinking", Adeniran said.
However, the community members lamented the absence of government projects and noted that irrespective of the good projects the WaterAid has been doing it cannot be enough without the involvement of the three levels of government.
Urgent Clarion Call
It has been recognised universally, that community management of facilities is essential for sustainability, which is central to the achievement of any goal.
The celebration of another World Water Day provided an opportunity for various stakeholders to highlight the challenges of accessing water, especially by the poor and the less privileged in Nigeria.
Globally, access to safe drinking water has proven to be a major challenge for policy makers and development experts, but Nigeria presents a poor case scenario.
The 2009 Joint Monitoring Program Report produced by UNICEF and WHO shows that Nigeria is one of the few countries with declining access to water supply; a trend that is against the tide of the Millennium Development Goal 7 target 10, which seeks to half by 50 per cent; the percentage of people without access to water and sanitation by 2015.
With just six years to get to 2015 with progress well off-track on water and sanitation Nigeria must redouble and accelerate its efforts to revise the negative trend.
It is however, disheartening to learn that the new policy thrust of the Federal Government - in the face of the current global economic meltdown - is to decline from funding water supply projects in the country.
Report has it that the government would rather fund large dams for multipurpose uses - especially irrigation for food production aimed - to achieve one of President Umaru Yar'Adua's 7-Point Agenda on food sufficiency.
What is worrisome is the Federal government went ahead with the policy by unilaterally changing the cost sharing formula agreed in the National Water Supply and Sanitation Policy 2000, without consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
One wonders if the Federal government intends to leave this burden of access to water to individuals and Non-Governmental organisations.
Although some NGOs have made giant strides, it is not enough, as it requires input both from the Federal, State and Local Government Authorities to ensure that adequate and clean water are available and accessible to the citizens and communities.
Executing water projects without putting in place the proper operation and maintenance structures have resulted in users abandoning such water facilities once a fault arises to return to their traditional unsafe water sources.
So instead of the Federal Government to completely withdraw from funding water supply and sanitation, it should explore and promote other funding mechanisms or partnership that are more effective such as the WaterAid Model applied in some parts of the country, including Ekiti, Enugu, and Benue state.
Such funding mechanisms should bring all interested parties from the beneficiary communities, the Local Government Councils, the state and federal government into an arrangement that is transparent and accountable.
Interestingly, according to a report, the Federal Government - with support from the World Bank - developed the Water Investment Mobilisation and Application Guideline (WIMAG), geared towards making funding of the sector more effective.
The report wondered why government did not consider implementing the WIMAG and chose rather to cut off funding for water supply and sanitation completely.
Whichever way one looks at it, Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind in the global quest to provide adequate water services to various citizens. That can only spur bad governance, with a ripple effect on development. All stakeholders beware.
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