As the International Community marks the 2021 World Water Day, UNICEF has warned that more than one point four-two billion people including four hundred and fifty million children are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.
According to a statement from the Agency, this means that one in five children worldwide does not have enough water to meet every day needs, lamenting that the figures in Nigeria are particularly worrying with twenty-six point five million, which is twenty nine per cent of Nigerian children.
The UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins made it known that the world’s water crisis is here already and that children are the biggest victims.
The statement recalled that last year, the Nigerian government and UNICEF released a wash norm study, which shows that while there have been some progress, sustainable and equitable access to safe drinking water remains a challenge in Nigeria, with over eighty-six per cent of Nigeria’s lacking access to a safely managed drinking water source.
It commended the efforts of the Ministry of Water Resources and its partners in strengthening the sector’s planning and monitoring but noted that there is still more work to be done to ensure that all Nigerians have access to hygiene services, adequate and quality water.
