Nigeria leads Africa in poor potable water supply

Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo

After being listed as leader in global open defecation, Nigeria has again been ranked the poorest it the provision of potable water supply to citizens in Africa.

Managing Director of Taraba Water and Sewerage Corporation (TAWASCO), Mr. Buba Siam disclosed this at a Knowledge Cafe (Mu-Gana) quarterly meeting between TAWASCO, E-WASH and CSOs involved in the E-WASH projects held in the state. Siam said despite efforts by the corporation to ensure adequate water supply to citizens of the state, paucity of funds has, however, marred efforts in achieving the objective.

He regretted that despite the abundant water resources in the country, majority of citizens do not have potable water to drink,  due largely to government negligence and lack of political will.

“Nigeria is ranked poorest in terms of water supply to her citizens in the whole of Africa. It is so sad that we live in an environment that is suffering serious degradation due to human activities. Sanitation has become a global issue of serious concern.  In Taraba state, despite our conscious efforts, we have not been able to meet the water demands of our customers. Water supply and sanitation are capital intensive and without adequate funding, there is little the utility companies can do,” Siam said.