About 69 million people in Nigeria are currently living without clean water, over 120 million do not have a decent toilet while about 47 million people practice open defecation on account of water poverty, the Hope Spring water foundation revealed.
The menace according to the foundation has become a threat to the lives of the inhabitants and called on Nigerian government to understand water rights as human rights to make life more bearable for the citizenry.
In its quest to end water poverty in Nigeria, Hope Spring Water Charity Foundation has marked the 2018 Water Action Month with a two consecutive day walk through the streets, parks, green gardens and malls of the capital city of Nigeria, Abuja, between 10AM and 4PM on the 16th and 17 of March.
According to the Country Director of the Charity,Temple Oraeki, the purpose of the walk is to sensitize residents of the Capital City of Abuja, and Nigerians in general of their rights as humans, to clean and safe water sources close to their homes.
The foundation added that it is joining people around the world to push for a world with easy access to water with its Walk for Water which encourages Nigerians to hold the government accountable for access to clean water at homes and other spaces for its citizens.
The organisation noted that the month of global action every March provides a platform for organisations and communities to stand together with one common voice and the platform was shared by HopeSpring and other NGOs namely PickThatTrash and PHAAE – as partners to advocating for change towards a world where no one is left behind, and everyone has their rights to water and sanitation realised.
The Foundation noted that emphasis must be laid on involving the vulnerable and most marginalised groups in decision making, and ensuring no one is left behind and invites everyone to hopespring.org.uk and join its other sheduled programs for the Water Action month in order to achieve this end.
The charity also observed that involving everyone is urgent because Nigeria is at the brink of water, sanitation, and hygiene crises, given that about 69 million people in Nigeria are currently living without adequate access to water, over 120 million people do not have a decent toilet and about 47 million people practice open defecation on account of water poverty which leads to about eight hundred lives being lost to diarrhoea daily across the globe, it says.
Despite the situation, passers-by engaged in discussions at the walk revealed that they are not aware of their human rights to water as they are used to providing water for themselves at homes noting that It is common practice for Nigerians to provide water at homes through boreholes while the poor who cannot afford to construct a borehole are left with no choice than to walk miles in search of water and burden falls mostly on women and children.
