Introduction

In April 2018, the Federal Government of Nigeria declared a State of Emergency in the Nigeria WaSH sector
More than 60 million Nigerians lack access to safe and clean drinking water in their respective homes and communities. More often, children and women often bear the burden of walking long distances to fetch water, most of which are unfit to drink.

Recent statistics by UN are so alarming; positing that 60% of child mortality stems from an ailment closely tied to water-related diseases, which is more than deaths from AIDS and malaria combined. Also, rape cases, physical abuse and other forms of human exploitation of children, particularly young girls, are recorded in many local communities across Africa.

Preliminary Survey and Needs Assessment

Our preliminary visit to the community confirmed the plights of this blessed but impoverished community. Enroute the site of the river to assess the water need of the community, almost every household, was seen to have empty gallons and water containers stationed, in anticipation of rainwater, to ease the stress of the daily journey to the river to fetch water.

On arrival at the site of the river, the team witnessed first hand, the ordeals of the community members. Men, women, children, including the elderly, were seen struggling to make the best use of the only water source available to them in the community. Due to utilization of the river to meet the multiple water needs of its users, and prevent incessant abuse witnessed by the joint utilization of the river for all gender, the river was divided into male and female section. The female section had women and girls bathing, washing and fetching drinking water from same source whilst the male section also had men and boys doing same in their own segment.

So as to avoid the daily visit to the river, most families visit the river during weekends, and ensure they get all the water they will need for the week, including doing their laundries and washing the leaves they need for preparing local soup and meal.

The team interviewed a young girl who was seen carrying gallon of water from the river to a larger water container, stationed in a stand-by truck. She confirmed that accessing water is a major challenge in the community. She further confirmed that, just like other families, she was there with her siblings to fetch water and do their laundries.

The survey team observed that most families adopt a particular strategy at the river site, to get water. One person takes charge of fetching the water from the river, after which he or she hands over the filled container to another person who takes the water-filled container to another family member stationed in a nearby truck, containing a much larger water containers (mainly drums). This sequence continues until the drums of water in the truck, is filled. The truck is then used to transport the drums of water to the respective homes. These trucks are usually rented by families. Therefore, apart from the dissipated energy and time involved in accessing water, most families also spend the little income they have, in paying for trucks that will transport the water from the river to their respective homes. Not to forget that this same river is highly polluted from mining activities that go on in the community and other domestic activities (such as bathing and washing) carried out in the river.