From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Ahead of the commemoration of this year’s World Water Day, a report released by various groups has pinned the perilous state of water infrastructure across the country on corruption and deliberate starving of the utilities and the required funding by the state governments.

The report titled Dry Taps: A Damning Verdict on the State of Water Utilities in Nigeria was launched by the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC), the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees (AUPCTRE), Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) and New Life Community Care Initiative (NELCCI).

The report uncovers the near comatose state of public waterworks in Kogi, Oyo, Lagos, Enugu, Edo and Kano States and sheds insight into the seeming intractable water crisis that has enveloped all the states of the federation with particular focus on the reasons behind the situation.

In the public presentation of the report, AUPCTRE General Secretary, Sikiru Waheed explained that though the scope of the research is limited only to six out of Nigeria’s 36 states, it deliberately captures the situation in at least one state per geographical zone, making it a sneak peek into the overall picture of access to water in the entire federation.

He explained that due to manpower and resource challenges the research focused on the water situation in the cities since it is a forgone conclusion that the rural communities where 70 percent of Nigeria’s population are found rely only on streams, rivers and in a few cases private water vendors and boreholes to meet their domestic water needs.

The Executive Director of EDEN, Barrister Chima Williams said:

“The outcomes of the fact finding visits to the water utilities in Edo State just like in other states of the federation are depressing and demands immediate intervention. Multi-billion naira water projects are rotting away forcing citizens to rely on unwholesome sources of water. It is disheartening”

In his contribution, the Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor said:

“We need not probe further to know why Nigerians are coming down with dysentery and other water -related illnesses. The blame is solely that of governments at all levels that have abandoned their primary responsibility of ensuring citizens have access to clean and potable water. In all the states visited the situation is shamefully the same”

Some of the key highlights of the report are that most of the major waterworks in the six states are functioning epileptically and far below installed capacity. Similarly, most of the mini or micro-waterworks in the sampled states are either completely shut or neglected or outrightly vandalized and stripped.

The fact-finding teams observed low morale among workers in the public utilities due to failure of government in providing funds that would make the facilities operate maximally.

In Edo State the Ikpoba River Dam, which is supposed to feed the headworks in Ugbowo and Iyaro has been left fallow. Some privately owned fish ponds now operate within the vicinity. The dam, which used to produce over 90MGD, was confirmed to be no longer operational as the pumping facility had been abandoned.

Reports from Lagos, Kano, Kogi, Enugu and Oyo expose similar scenarios. In their recommendation to the government, the groups called for a state of emergency in the water sector. They also want governments at federal and state levels to integrate broad public participation in formulating plans to achieve universal access.

Another key demand from the groups is a probe of billions of naira in loans for the countless water schemes littered across the federation and the strengthening of public accountability in the management of water resources, among others.