The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has said that less than 65 million of the over 200 million Nigerians have access to safely managed drinking water.
USAID Nigeria’s director of economic growth, agriculture and empowerment, Malick Haidara, stated this on Tuesday in Kano during the closeout and handing over ceremony of the Partners for Development (PfD) project on Water Improvement and Sanitation Enhancement (WISE) in Kano state.
According to him, the challenge to safe drinking water, which is the foundation of human well-being and sanitation, remains immense, with only about 70 million of Nigeria’s population enjoying the benefit of safely managed sanitation.
“Since 2008, the US government, through the USAID, has empowered 70 million people worldwide with access to safe drinking water and provided empowered sanitation to 50,000 million and more.
“Yet despite our best efforts and those of our partners in the WASH sector, nearly two billion people globally still lack access to drinkable managed drinking water. Approximately 3.4 billion people are living without safely managed sanitation,” he said.
Earlier in his welcoming address, PfD Chief of Party/WISE activity Simeon Nyiakaa highlighted that the three-year project in 70 communities of Gezawa and Karaye in Kano state has achieved remarkable milestones.
He pointed out that WISE has established and trained 62 water caretakers and local area mechanics, 102 water, sanitation, and hygiene committees (WASHCOMs), and 102 artisans in each targeted community aimed at ensuring sustainability and ownership.
“WISE has successfully installed and sustained the operations of 43 improved water facilities in the communities, including 28 in schools and six healthcare facilities. These facilities provide potable water to over 42,000 rural community residents at 20 litres per person daily. This achievement surpasses our initial target of 33,000 beneficiaries, ensuring more people have access to safe and sustainable drinking water,” he stated.
In his remarks, the Kano state commissioner for rural and urban development, Abbas Sani, who represented the Kano state government, promised to sustain the momentum set up by WISE, noting that the government is trying its best to ensure it provides clean water and keeps good hygiene across the state.
