Nearly one-third of Nigerian children lack access to enough water, the UN children's agency UNICEF said Monday, calling for urgent measures to address the problem.

In a statement marking World Water Day, UNICEF said more than 1.42 billion people -- including 450 million children -- are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability in the world.

"This means that 1 in 5 children worldwide do not have enough water to meet their everyday needs," it said.

"The figures in Nigeria are particularly worrying, with 26.5 million Nigerian children experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability -- or 29 percent of Nigerian children," the UN body said.

About 100,000 Nigerian children are said to die annually of water-related diseases.

"The world's water crisis is not coming -- it is here, and children are its biggest victims," said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF's representative in Nigeria.

"When wells dry up, children are the ones missing school to fetch water. When droughts diminish food supplies, children suffer from malnutrition and stunting.

"When floods hit, children fall ill from waterborne illnesses. And when water is not available in Nigerian communities, children cannot wash their hands to fight off diseases," he added.

According to UNICEF, over 86 percent of Nigerians lack access to a safely managed drinking water source.

"The problem is compounded by poor drinking water quality and lack of equity in access," it said.

UNICEF said despite "some progress" by Nigeria, "there is still much more work to be done in the country to ensure that all Nigerians have access to adequate and quality water and hygiene services."

Although about 70 percent of Nigerians are reported to have access to basic water services, more than half of these water sources are contaminated, it said.

"At the current rate, the country will miss the SDG targets on people's access to water, unless there is a strong commitment and appropriate action taken by all stakeholders."

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Russian freediver claims new record in icy Lake Baikal plunge
Moscow (AFP) March 16, 2021
Russian freediver Alexei Molchanov claimed to have set a new Guinness World Record on Tuesday after plunging 80 metres (262 feet) in the icy waters of Lake Baikal in Siberia. Clad in blue diving gear, Molchanov dropped into a hole in the Baikal ice before coming back up smiling, winking and forming the OK sign with his hand, video footage showed. His team claimed it was the deepest ever freedive under ice. "I would like to dedicate this new record to this amazing place where we are now. Baik ... read more