Biebara Confidence
In South-South Nigeria, SDG 6 achievement is in danger in rural communities. Many rural communities have no purified water sources and are exposed to various health challenges.
At this age and time, it is shocking to find out that some villages in Nigeria’s South-South geopolitical zone where this research was conducted consume water from suck away pits, lack access to potable drinking water and are still challenged with open defecation.
This makes the attainability of Sustainable Development Goal 6 very uncertain. SDG 6 propagates and demands access to clean water and sanitation before 2030, however, seven years to 2030, the situation is as bad as it has been in this particular region.
Water is a basic human need and right, yet has become scarce, unaffordable and unsafe for poor Nigerians who cannot afford it, while the rich resort to private unsure means of water supply.
Unhygienic, polluted water, its health hazard and residents’ experience
A visit in September, 2023 to Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State afforded me an opportunity to witness first-hand how people were consuming water from suck-away pits which were not properly covered. The people were seen using this water to bath, cook, wash and some even drink it. While the ones who could afford to buy sachet water get it but they complain that the taste of the water is not okay and it is too expensive. According to Joy Nubarido, a female student of Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island/Amassoma in Bayelsa State, some students use the water from the suck away pit to cook.
“Some of my neighbours that are students use that water from suck away to cook and wash their clothes. I use it to flush the toilet but don’t use it to cook. You either buy pure water or buy borehole water and it is expensive .One bag of ‘Pure water’ is N400 while a gallon of borehole water is N100. If Aboki gets it for you, it is N150.”
Well water
“If you settle for a borehole, there are a lot of processes to push the water through before one can drink”. Only rich people here can afford to buy bottled water; it is really expensive. In this place, everybody is a business person selling water”. Rumour had it that some students died early this year because they could not afford purified water and had to use water from Amassoma River.”
Another student who preferred to be called by her first name only, Chima said getting clean and safe water in Bayelsa State is not easy.
“Getting clean and good water in Bayelsa is not easy. I bathe borehole water and buy pure (sachet) water to drink. It’s very expensive o, and again digging a borehole in Bayelsa is not easy. It’s rare, you cannot just see it in many compounds.
A close view of well Water in the area (PC Biebara Confidence)
“Again, the water is contaminated; it gives me reaction, my body will be itching me. I just deleted the pictures, I would have shown you what this water did to me, even the pure water when you are drinking it, you feel this taste of rust, the water here is not good.”
Also a male student, Yere Imomotimi, stated that access to hygienic water is a very big challenge in the area.
“To get good and affordable water here is a very big challenge. To me, as a student in this community, I settle for this well water here. I use it mostly for my laundry, washing of plates and bathing. The water has an adverse effect on my body. At the time, I had some reaction on my skin as a result of the bad water.”
Another student affirmed “I’m a student here and, most times, we can’t afford good water, and there are adverse effects, like recent times I treated cholera. Most times, when I don’t have money I still drink this water, 70% of students here make use of this water. As you can see, someone is here fetching the water also, they might want to use it to cook or to bathe, as a result you see a high increase of skin infection.”
“As a student here it is quite difficult for me because I have to settle for this water most times. I think in Amassoma here in Bayelsa State, the good water percentage is just 30% while the bad water percentage is 80%.”
In the course of the visit, some kids were sighted defecating in the same rivers residents use for bathing. Whether they were aware or oblivious of the health implications of such a situation was uncertain.
Meanwhile, Celia, a resident of Agudama Community in the same Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, said in their own community, they only use the suck away water to wash and bathe while they drink sachet water and borehole water. In another visit to Biara Community in Gokana Local Government Area in Rivers State, middle class residents said they drink water from wells while others drink untreated borehole
Health workers’ position on unhygienic water sources
In a conversation with a health worker, Gift Eleabu, he thoroughly explained how most sources of water that one might think is safe gets contaminated, outlining the disease and effects of this unhygienic water. “Unhygienic waters are actually unsafe for drinking. The water is often contaminated with BH germs, parasites or any kind of toxic chemicals”.
Also in most rural communities, residents channel their sewages to available water bodies: streams or boreholes. Cattle or other animals defecate in the water. This already makes the waters unhygienic for drinking.
In most rural communities in South-south Nigeria, “Waste chemicals, especially, from the gas flaring companies also contaminate the waters. Most of these industries channel their waste material into the streams and then into our waterways.”. Where the chemicals are not channelled into the waterways, as soon as the rain falls, the rain will pull all the chemicals into those streams.
Impact of unhygienic water on residents’ health.
“There are several diseases and associated conditions that one can get from eating or drinking from this unhygienic water. Very common among these are cholera and diarrhoea.” Gift Eliabu said
A study we did on Cell transmitted health disease some time ago revealed most of the people, especially, in the rural areas in the water region areas like Okrika, Kalabari, and Buguma, have a lot of issues with their systems.” From most children in schools, around water shore area, most of them had a lot of worms that are actually gotten from this contaminated water
Expert suggest self- help
Given these challenges with little support from government in the community, health experts suggested “If you cannot afford the bottle water, always ensure you boil your water and allow it to cool before drinking. Another alternative is to use sanitizer or impurity removal to ensure you have clean water.”
Challenges of producing hygienic water in Bayelsa and other south-south states’ rural communities
In an interview with the National President of Hygienic Water Producers Association of Nigeria (HWAPAN), Mackson Egberi, he narrated the challenges water producers are facing.
According to him, “In production of potable water, our challenges are multiple taxation, quacks, unregistered water producers who are flooding the public with unhygienic water. It has not been easy policing the industry. It’s an industry that is very risky in terms of policing,” in other words, there are many fake and adulterated water producers who always add to the problems of the public.
Water tank in Agudama(PC: Biebara Confidence)
Though the laws are there, the implementation process is the problem. While there is little compliance at the urban centres, rural communities suffered.
Governments’ response.
Meanwhile, the Acting General Manager of the Rivers State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Health Agency (RUWASSA), Napoleon Adah, in an interview with this Reporter, explained his organization’s efforts in ensuring quality water in rural communities. According to him “We had taken giant strides, by commissioning some water projects in some rural communities, did some sensitization advocacy in various communities but funding had limited our activities”.
Agudama Community Borehole(PC: Biebara Confidence)
Aside from the above, our agency had campaigned against open defecation by collaborating with International Development Agencies likeEU, UNICEF under the NDSP program to carry out projects in two LGAs, namely, Opobo/Nkoro and Akoku-Toru local governments and other interventions from the Ministry of Water Resources during the COVID 19 pandemic.