KEY POINTS
- Millions in rural Nigeria struggle daily to access clean drinking water.
- Water scarcity leads to severe health impacts, economic instability, and inequality.
- Community-led water management and sustainable infrastructure investments are vital solutions.
Millions of people in Nigeria’s vast rural areas struggle daily to access clean drinking water. Safe water is still a luxury that many of these communities cannot afford. Not only is the battle for water a matter of survival, but it is also an essential element of the larger effort to achieve equitable development because of its enormous implications on social welfare, economic stability, and health.
A persistent water crisis
Nigeria, the home of over 200 million people, has long struggled with a severe clean water shortage, especially in rural areas. According to a report by Nigeria Health Watch 70 million Nigerians do not have access to clean water, with the majority of them living in rural regions.
Nigeria has an abundance of natural water resources, such as lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers. Yet the nation’s rural areas are frequently disconnected from dependable supplies of clean water.
There is a huge disparity in urban and rural residents’ access to clean water. Water delivery systems in urban areas are supported by superior infrastructure, even though dependability and maintenance issues still persist. On the other hand, it is typical for rural areas to lack even the most basic water infrastructure.
Rural communities usually get their water from open wells, ponds, or dirty streams; many of these sources are contaminated and pose serious health problems.
Challenges in accessing clean water
Accessing clean water in rural Nigeria involves a complex web of challenges. One of the most significant issues is the lack of adequate infrastructure.
Many communities are left to fend for themselves as a result of the significant investment gap in rural water infrastructure. In many rural Nigerian communities, boreholes—one of the main sources of clean water—are either nonexistent or badly maintained. These boreholes typically break down without adequate investment, and communities often lack the resources to fix them.
Another serious risk is water contamination. Surface water supplies, which are very vulnerable to pollution, are the lifeblood of many rural communities.
Water sources are most times contaminated by fertilisers and pesticides due to agricultural runoff. Oil spills and the disposal of industrial waste have severely damaged natural water sources in the Niger Delta region, leaving rural people to cope with polluted drinking water.
Amnesty International noted in a study that Ogoniland’s pollution is still destroying the region’s water supplies and raising the death toll among the rural populace.
In rural Nigeria, water scarcity is made worse by climate change. Rainfall patterns are becoming more unpredictable, which has an impact on surface and groundwater supplies.
Drought periods, especially during the dry season, drastically limit the amount of water available, requiring communities to move farther in order to utilise what little water is left.
According to the report by UNICEF, some regions have consistently had lower yearly rainfall, which has made things more difficult for people who depend on seasonal water supplies.
Social and gender inequalities further complicate the issue of water access. Water collection is mostly the responsibility of women and children, especially girls. In Nigeria, a rural household spends more than four hours a day gathering water, with women and girls bearing the majority of the workload.
This work keeps girls out of school and discourages women from pursuing employment opportunities. This perpetuates the cycles of inequality and poverty in rural communities.
Impact of water scarcity on rural communities
The lack of clean water has several negative consequences for rural communities. The effects on health are very severe. Unsafe water is the main source of waterborne illnesses like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever in many rural areas of Nigeria.
In 2021, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported over 100,000 cases of cholera, with the majority of illnesses occurring in rural communities.
Waterborne diseases have become a continuous problem due to the usage of contaminated water and inadequate sanitation facilities, especially for children under five who are more susceptible to these ailments.
Water scarcity has a major impact on economic activities as well. The primary industry in many rural areas is agriculture, and effective farming requires access to water.
Without a consistent water supply, farmers find it difficult to irrigate their crops, which lowers yields and thus increases food insecurity and poverty. This also affects livestock, which has an additional negative effect on the livelihoods of people who depend on animal husbandry.
Addressing the water crisis: Efforts and solutions
There have been several approaches taken to alleviate the water crisis in Nigeria’s rural villages, including community-based efforts, government programs, and foreign assistance.
The Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PEWASH), which was established in 2016, is one notable government initiative.
Through collaboration between the federal, state, and local governments, this initiative seeks to increase access to water in rural Nigeria. However, there have been difficulties with implementation, mainly because of insufficient money and uneven policy enforcement.
In addition, international organisations have played a crucial role in addressing the water situation. Funding and technical help have been provided by UNICEF, the World Bank, and other NGOs to create sustainable water systems in rural regions.
For instance, UNICEF has installed solar-powered boreholes that offer a dependable supply of clean water in collaboration with local governments in states like Yobe and Borno State. Because solar-powered systems don’t rely on Nigeria’s frequently inconsistent electrical supply, they offer a sustainable alternative and are especially well-suited for rural communities.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have focused their efforts on building community resilience. For example, WaterAid has carried out initiatives in rural Nigeria with the goal of creating and renovating boreholes and wells as well as teaching the local populace how to operate and maintain these infrastructures.
This community-focused strategy guarantees that the locals have the knowledge and abilities necessary to maintain their water resources in the long run. Community Water Committee has been established in Northern Nigeria to supervise the management of water infrastructure, guaranteeing upkeep and swiftly resolving any concerns that may occur.
Challenges and the path forward
Despite these achievements, the struggle for safe drinking water in Nigeria’s rural communities is far from over. The successful execution of water projects is nevertheless hindered by corruption and poor management.
Sometimes the money allocated for developing and maintaining water infrastructure is misdirected or misused resulting in projects that are either poorly planned or incomplete. Sometimes boreholes are dug without taking into account the local geology, which leads to wells that dry up fast.
Climate change remains a growing threat. The supply of water is expected to become even more erratic due to rising temperatures and shifting patterns of rainfall.
To lessen the effects of climate change on water supply, adaptation measures like enhanced water-saving techniques and investments in climate-resilient infrastructure will be essential.
Addressing Nigeria’s rural water challenge requires an integrated effort between the government, non-governmental organisations, foreign partners, and local communities.
While infrastructure investment is vital, community involvement and capacity building are just as important in guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of these systems.
Encouraging local communities to assume responsibility for their water resources is essential for guaranteeing the long-term functionality and efficacy of these systems.
