According to the Nigeria Beverage Panel (NBP), about 2.2 billion individuals worldwide are living in areas where safe water is not readily available.
Furthermore, the Nigeria Beverage Panel (NBP) pointed out that over 4.4 billion people worldwide endure severe water shortages for a minimum of one month every year.
The organization revealed this information in a statement penned by its Chairman, Prof. Tunde Oguntona, and made available to journalists in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
Prof. Oguntona said, “although Nigeria is not considered to be one of the regions that will experience higher water stress by 2040, access to fresh drinking water is already a very serious challenge in the country”.
His estimation suggested that the percentage of Nigerians with access to safe drinking water ranges from 14% to 30%.
Reflecting on the theme for this year’s commemoration, ‘Water for Peace,’ Prof. Oguntona highlighted the intrinsic connection between water and the pursuit of peace.
“The main objective of the celebration was to promote the responsible use of water and advocate access to safe water for everyone.
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“There is an urgent need for all stakeholders to take action because access to water is a human right. This is enshrined in several International treaties and Conventions especially the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)6”, he said.
“The first target under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 is, ‘by 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all”.
“Despite this, there are still estimated 2.2 billion people around the world living without access to safe water. Also UN estimates that over 4.4 billion people (two thirds of world population) experience severe water scarcity for at least one month in the year”.
“The world is not even close to being on track to meet the SDGs by 2030, continued progress on SDG Target 6.1, and the additional acceleration needed to achieve universal access, is threatened by the ever-increasing impacts and uncertainty of climate change, competing agricultural and ecological water needs, competing financial priorities and the challenges of existing and emerging threats to water quality”.
“There is also population pressure. So, World Water Day provides us with unique opportunity not only to focus on the challenges but to take action.”
He urged Nigerians to alter their approach to utilizing, harnessing, consuming, and overseeing water resources, emphasizing the importance of rainwater harvesting, regardless of existing water sources available to them.
He advised recycling wastewater whenever feasible and to actively discourage the pollution of rivers and streams, particularly with household waste.