Contending the Scourge of Water Pollution in Nigeria
By Stephen Isayinka
There are several scientific and economic evidence that demonstrate how a lack of clean water or its contamination can lead to a dramatic drop in productivity and even the extinction of some species. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2022), water-related diseases have been hindering basic human development in African countries, especially Nigeria. In Nigeria, pollution is by far the greatest serious threat to the country’s water supply, which is threatened by a variety of human activities. Rivers, lakes, wells, streams, boreholes, and even purified water in homes and factories can become contaminated when undesired substances with the potential to harm human health and other ecosystems seep into these water sources. Pathogens, silt, and suspended solid particles are the most common types of pollution found in rivers and other waterways. Other common sources include sewage, trash, cosmetics, car exhaust, construction debris, and eroding riverbanks. Microorganisms use oxidation and other ways to break down some of these contaminants. The fundamental issue is that these toxic compounds have become reconcentrated in the natural food chain, which poses substantial health hazards to indigenous Nigerians.
While the global population is growing, so is the need for clean water, making the availability of this resource a pressing problem in many parts of the world. Recent estimates place the number of people without access to clean water and proper sanitation around the world at between 1.2 and 2.4 billion. Over half the population is impacted in many developing countries, Nigeria in particular. The first category includes resources that should ideally be available to all communities, such as lakes, hand-dug wells, taps, boreholes, streams, rivers and their plains, wetlands, and water stored in subterranean reservoirs. The majority of the potable water used in homes, farms, and factories comes from freshwater sources. Because of their central role in so many aspects of daily life, including drinking, cooking, recreation, agriculture, fishing, and more, they cannot be avoided as a necessary component of any advanced civilization. However, because of inadequate management, Nigeria’s fresh water supplies are increasingly unreliable and difficult to access for local residents. As a result, it is often necessary for women and children to walk for hours just to obtain enough supplies of water for drinking.
There are serious social, economic, and ecological repercussions of water contamination in Nigerian communities. On the one hand, the government is dealing with catastrophic, life-threatening economic inequalities. For whatever purpose, be it domestic or industrial, the cost of purifying polluted water containing sediments and parasites to an acceptable level is high. The cost of eliminating the resulting diseases can be added to this. Therefore, it is not surprising that the country’s high infant mortality rate reflects the disproportionate impact of these crises on the country’s youngest residents: children and newborns. However, the decline in human and animal output throughout time has led to widespread anxiety about health crises. Diseases spread through contaminated water are the leading causes of death in the area, primarily affecting the poor. The number of reported cases is high. A total of 29115 cholera cases and 1191 related deaths were reported in just 15 of the 37 states and the Federal Capital Territory in October 2010. In 1991, the World Health Organization conducted a development assessment that found 96,000 cases of guinea worm infection across 13 significant African countries.
The spread of the disease is blamed on the widespread use of contaminated water, especially in rural areas. The Society of Gastroenterology and Herpetology in Nigeria (SOGHIN) reported a staggeringly high prevalence rate of Hepatitis in May 2009: 19 million persons, the vast majority of whom are from low socioeconomic backgrounds, were affected. Hepatitis B and C continue to be the most common causes of liver failure and death in Nigeria. Most cases of liver cancer and liver siroccos are a direct result of this, and they can’t be treated without a transplant, which is too difficult to perform in the country. That’s right, this illness has been essentially killing out the poor. Northern Nigeria confirmed 108 cases of ileal perforation in children younger than 15 who were diagnosed with typhoid fever recently. It has long been known that domestic water contamination is a serious issue throughout much of Nigeria, especially in the rural areas that receive little attention from the government. The tragedy is severely impeding human progress, so it would be helpful to identify effective preventative and control strategies. Water treatment plants, effective regulation, and teaching locals about the importance of clean water and efficient waste management are the most effective means of combating water pollution. Therefore, sufficient financial resources are required. Due in large part to ineffective law enforcement tools, vendors selling various foods and cosmetics in local markets regularly dump their waste into fresh waterways. By raising knowledge and encouraging strict adherence to existing regulations, this issue might be resolved entirely. It would be crucial in this case to prosecute defaulters. The three tiers of government in the country should make sure that “effective agricultural waste disposal methods are promulgated” because current agricultural and environmental policies are either lacking on the laws governing the disposal of agricultural wastes by farmers or lack good enforcement mechanisms. Extension programmes and engaging media platforms must be utilised to educate farmers on the ethical use of water facilities.
To conclude, it is recommended in cases of extreme water pollution to resort to legal action. Those that use chemicalized fishing methods to pollute waterways should be warned, informed, and held legally accountable for their acts. Appropriate funding and health education in all areas are required to address the spread of infectious illnesses. Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) should be designated for each community, and this role should get adequate funding and support from the government. It could be possible to accomplish this by establishing some sort of universal curriculum for health technology, nursing, and university-level education. Various government and non-government organisations on a global scale, including UNICEF, as well as private foundations and corporations, need to prioritise water and sanitation projects. Diarrhea is the leading cause of death among Nigeria’s young children, but it can be cut by half if the country’s water supply is made safer to drink. When sanitation (the removal of human and animal waste) is combined with health education, steps to improve water quality, improved hygiene practises, and sufficient money, the disease may soon be a thing of the past. The major corruption problem in the country must be addressed with full execution of any of the above methods if the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) is to be achieved.
