By Lillian Okenwa
On 24 May 2024, Saudi Arabia was nominated to host the 11th global water and sanitation community forum. The forum has been held every three years since 1997 and the next will hold in 2027.
Meanwhile, as communities in oil rich Nigeria grapple with lack of portable water, Saudi’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has announced the allocation US$ 80 billion towards water projects within the coming years. This falls in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which is to enable equal access to clean and safe water globally.
Also, Saudi Arabia’s wastewater treatment services market is growing at a steady pace; and according to a recent study, the dizzyingly rich Arab nation built 133 wastewater treatment facilities in 2021 an increase of 14.66% over the previous year. Last September, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister announced the establishment of a Global Water Organization headquartered in Riyadh.
In 2022 after accusing traditional rulers in the state of abetting banditry, the then governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, and Nigeria’s current Minister of State for Defence proceeded to distribute 260 luxury cars including several 2019 Cadillac models to them.
Many of these communities which are mostly rural and agrarian have been under intense bandits attack and even pay protection taxes to these gunmen. Those who fail to pay for whatever reason are attacked, their livestock rustled, farms destroyed and residents either killed or abducted. The state government’s effort to check these incessant harassments, degradation and abuse of human rights remains to be seen. The bandits operate both at night and in broad daylight unchallenged.
Strangely, in this state where traditional rulers were gifted with luxury cars running into millions of dollars, the state government has been unable to provide the over 500,000 residents of the state capital with potable water not to talk of the local communities. Several news reports reveal that Gusau, the state capital has recorded many boat accidents as a result of the struggle by the inhabitants to get water from a river close to the town.
Residents particularly women and children have to sail in canoes to fetch water for domestic purposes. Although many boat accidents had occurred previously in the capital city, that of 7 May 2023 when seven persons and a prospective bride lost their lives was the most disturbing. The victims mainly women and children include an 18 year girl called Zainab Yusuf who was about to get married. Her younger brother Aliyu Yusuf was also among those who lost their lives.
The parents of the late Zainab and Aliyu who are said to be poor, depended on them for drinking water as they could not afford to buy water from vendors who sell a Jerry can of water at N150 at the time.
Speaking after the incident, the late Zainab’s father, Lawal Yusuf described the tragedy as the worst thing that ever happened to him. “I will never forget this throughout my life. I was not at home when the incident happened. I was away from home when my neighbour called me on the phone and told me that both my daughter, Zainab and my son Aliyu had died in boat accident. I nearly fainted but managed to come home where I met the two corpses lying on the floor. You see, we have to send our wards to the river to fetch water for our domestic purposes because that is the only alternative as the government failed to supply us with drinking water,” he lamented.
According to Yahaya Yusuf, the community leader of the Albarkawa area where the incident occurred, “Our children don’t go to school whenever there is water scarcity. Many of them have to go to the river to get water for their parents, despite the danger involved in the process.”
The State government officials insist that government is doing its best to provide portable water across the capital city but the residents of Gusau who bear the brunt disagree.
In the face of water scarcity in neighbouring Sokoto State, residents of Rafinduma village located in Kadadi and other communities in the Gada Local Government Area of the state are forced to travel over seven hours on donkeys to draw water from wells in a neighbouring town in the Niger Republic. Rafinduma is a community of over 17,000 residents.
Notwithstanding that Sokoto is classified among the poorest state in Nigeria with citizens wrestling with penury, its then governor, Aminu Bello Tambuwal in 2017 allegedly spent N700 million to buy a residential building in Abuja for the Sultan of Sokoto. Curiously, the house reportedly belonged to the Sultan before the state repurchased it for him.
This dependence of some Sokoto indigenes on Niger Republic towns for water underscores the absence of key essential social amenities. In spite of being mostly farmers, according to a PUNCH Newspaper report, the villagers’ farming activities have been severely hampered by the unrelenting water scarcity. Each year, they are forced to contend with this challenge that is hindering their ability to fully engage in their livelihoods.
Garba, a member of the community, told PUNCH that: “For over two decades, our village has been devoid of any accessible water source – no wells, no boreholes, not even a river to fetch water – we must trek to a neighbouring village in the Niger Republic, enduring a grueling journey just to meet up with our basic needs.
“The lack of water has had a profound impact on our daily lives. Basic hygiene practices like bathing and washing clothes become luxuries, and even drinking water is scarce for us.”
The 56-year-old father of six further revealed that: “The daily struggle for water forces our children to undertake arduous journeys to the Niger Republic, over six kilometres away from Our community, just to quench our thirst. Despite the hardships, the residents remain steadfast in our commitment to the village’s development but the fear is that abandoning our community would leave it vulnerable to becoming a ghost town or a potential hideout for bandits and kidnappers.
“So, our determination to stay is rooted in the peaceful nature of our community. Unlike other areas plagued by insecurity, Rafinduma has remained safe, free from the incursion of herdsmen or other threats. However, our urgent need for water remains unaddressed.”
Likewise, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) declared days ago that over 8 million Lagos residents currently lack access to clean drinking water. CAPPA stated this during the ‘Our Water Our Right Coalition’s’ press conference marking World Water Day 2024 themed ‘Water for Peace.’
This according to the organization, was despite the State’s reputation as a megacity. CAPPA also spotlighted the persistent issue of water access across Africa, highlighting Nigeria’s struggle to provide safe drinking water to its citizens.
Emphasizing on the issue of water scarcity as a general challenge in Africa, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “In Nigeria alone, a staggering 113 million people suffer from painful hardship and crippling deprivation of water. This saddening neglect is not due to a scarcity of resources but rather a consequence of the profit-driven logic adopted by state authorities in managing water supply and amenities.
“The relentless pursuit of commodifying public resources, at the expense of community welfare, has led to the deterioration of vital public utilities and social services. While this plight is widespread across the country, the situation in Lagos State is particularly alarming for us.
“Despite the state’s reputation as a lodestar and mega-city, over 8 million of its residents—equivalent to roughly 60 percent of its population—grapple with limited access to potable water.”
PUNCH in another special Interview reports how people, mostly women of Asa, a community in Ogun State, travel to neighboring Benin Republic to access potable water in the absence of boreholes and reliable wells.
In desperate search for water, Asa residents are forced to fetch contaminated water from nearby streams and rivers or embark on arduous journeys across the border to the Benin Republic in search of clean water.
The Conversation in a report made some disclosures. “Our findings showed that women face water scarcity and climate change challenges. They are vulnerable to water-borne diseases and gender-based violence. We also found that women’s participation in water management and decision-making was limited, which affected their ability to influence policies and strategies related to water governance…
“The intersection of gender, climate change and water scarcity creates a complex challenge that demands a comprehensive and inclusive approach. There are steps that would improve the situation. They include governments, civil society organisations and local communities tackling the underlying causes of water scarcity. And involving women in water management and decision-making.”
Water shortages, contaminated water and poor sanitation are interrelated and linked to the spread of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, and typhoid. 73 percent of the diarrhoeal and enteric disease burden in Africa is linked to poor access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), with the greater proportion occurring in poorer children. Reports show that 115 people in Africa die every hour from diseases linked to poor water and sanitary conditions.
The federal and state governments must rise to the challenge of addressing poor water and sanitary conditions as a crucial pathway to achieving universal health coverage. Ultimately, for these objectives to be achieved, much will depend on the political will to actualise them.
