Idongesit ASHAMERI
It was indeed a moment of jubilation and testimonies as rural communities across Nsit Atai and Obot Akara Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State rolled out drums to celebrate the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for exposing them to practices that have enriched their qualities of life.
It is common knowledge that diarrhea, cholera and other waterborne diseases are common among the rural populace, as lack of awareness on certain self-conscious practices, especially as it concerns personal hygiene and sanitation, has over the years promoted mortality rate in rural communities across the country.
Working in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State and federal governments of Nigeria, UNICEF began its mortality rate redemption journey on the two local government areas of the state in 2013 with an enlightenment program against open defecation, and after some period of training and practices, certified communities across both LGAs as Open Defecation Free (ODF).
The WASH program was therefore initiated in select communities within both LGAs with emphasis on hand washing, using tippy taps at critical periods such as; after use of the toilet, before and after meal and after playing, for school aged children.
Pilot communities for the programs however had their limitations as their sources of water were streams in distances of not less than two miles and beyond. Such streams, as explained by the rural dwellers are characterized by high hills, valleys and difficult topography which made it difficult for children, pregnant women and the aged to access with ease.
As should be expected therefore, such basic water/ sanitation services including the widely demonstrated and recommended hand washing in communities and schools across the areas required availability of water.
To assist the communities put to practice the sanitation and hygiene promotion techniques handed down to the people therefore, UNICEF in collaboration with Akwa-Ibom State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, with the support of the 30percent counterpart funding of the Akwa Ibom State Government, awarded contract for the construction of 30 solar power mini water schemes and 24 sanitation facilities in communities across Nsit Atai and Obot Akara Local Government Areas of the state. Some of these intervention projects have been completed and delivered to the people while others are at advanced stages of completion.
In their personal testimonies, benefiting communities of Ikot Esop and Ikot Ukpong in Nsit Atai Local government areas of Akwa Ibom State confessed to drastic reduction in child mortality, as cholera and diarrhea have reduced drastically since the communities were declared open defecation free, hand-washing introduced, and potable water sources provided at distances between two to five poles from homes.
Wife of the village head of Ikot Esop, Mrs Sarah Akpan Nathaniel said life in the communities before the intervention was quite difficult especially for pregnant women and school aged children whose distances to the streams left them tired, and for the children, promoted lateness to school, with an unsuitable state of mind for learning.
Her words “We have never had this kind of intervention in this village. Water is very vital to life, from the kitchen to the toilet and other parts of the home. Life was very difficult before UNICEF came to this community. Cleanliness was not easy because we had to economize the little water we could draw from the stream. Old women whose children had left homes suffered tremendously, but now our story is different”.
“They did not just come here to give us water they first of all exposed to us the dangers of open defecation, taught us hygiene on women and children, they showed us the easiest method to promote hand washing among our children, the tippy tap method. Because of all these, we are very happy. With water, you have given us life, you have taken illnesses very far away from us”.
Also speaking, the Village Head, Chief Nathaniel Akpan said the village, with a total population of 1470 has become the envy of non benefiting communities around, but assured that no neighbouring community would be prevented from benefiting from the gesture.
To protect the facility against vandalism and breakdown, the village head said in addition to the employment of three able bodied men to ensure security of the facility, the village has also taken steps to own the facility by opening a dedicated bank account where savings are made to ensure prompt repair of any fault that may arise.
The Chairman of the village council, Chief Pius Ukpong who also applauded the intervention said
“This is the best thing that has ever happened to us in this community; we used to go to stream with high hills. Adults could not climb. A bucket of water was like gold. Now neighboring villages are enjoying from our water. Everyone now has water within three pools against the three miles before now. No more dirty items in the house. No scarcity of water in any household.
Madam Arit Okon, one of the beneficiaries from Ikot Ukpong village of Nsit Atai who declared herself to be over 70 years of age said her life would have ended by now if she was still drawing water from her village stream due to distance, the hill and the stress of carrying heavy load through such distance at her age.
The grandmother who expressed disappointment that men from the community do not assist even their pregnant wives in fetching water, said the intervention has taken a very huge burden off the children and women as children now fetches with fun. She however appealed to the state government to take over from where UNICEF stopped and replicate such enlightenment programs and interventions in other parts of the state.
A teenage girl, miss Grace Bassey who also commended UNICEF for its initiative confessed that hand washing was one of the things she never thought to be necessary as she and her younger ones were of the habit of plunging and consuming fruits and other food stuffs even on their way from the toilet.
“We were always having outbreaks of diarrhea in our family, once it started, virtually every member of the family would be affected, but ever since we received the training, constructed the tippy tap and our parents provided soap, I can’t remember anyone in our house having any case of diarrhea. This thing is real”. She said
The foregoing testimonies are however from a minority of the population of Akwa Ibom rural communities as a greater number of rural dwellers in the state are among the 57 million
Nigerians who lacks access to portable water supply live in rural areas.
An insight provided on this by a UNICEF WASH specialist, Moustapha Niang during a media dialogue on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, (WASH), organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with European Union, EU, and the Child Right Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Ministry of Information in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital indicated that;
“Of this percentage, the Niger Delta region make up only 16.57% (32million) of population (190million) with access to improved water supply, with Akwa Ibom having 76.3%, Bayelsa 27.5%, Delta 75.1%, Edo 73.2%, and Rivers 86.4% of the 57.48% National average”.
To ensure that every Nigerian has access to this basic necessity therefore, Niang said it has become imperative for the three tiers of governments to put more effort to ensure accessibility to portable water supply, if the nation must meet the SDGs Goal 6 by 2030.
Identifying another challenge to nationwide safe water supply he said “Though with good access to improved water supply in the Niger Delta region, with all the states apart from Bayelsa having values above the National average, there is a serious issue of groundwater contamination (either biological or chemical). Some parts have problems of iron and manganese contamination (especially Bayelsa State.
“There are cases of feacal contamination some months after boreholes are drilled and in use. There are cases of nitrate contamination also due to seepage from nearby latrines and the use of fertilizers and pesticides for agricultural purposes. Bayelsa is particularly plagued with iron and manganese contamination, and this brings about esthatic issues which can lead to rejection of the water
“Accessibility to safe water can save the lives of most under five children that die annually from preventable diseases, as most of the diseases are caused by poor access to water.
“We need to do 20 times more of what we are currently doing in terms of policies and funding in providing safe water to the people.
“For example, in 1999, 12 per cent of the population had pipe access to their homes. But this percentage declined to two percent as at 2015.”
Mrs Martha Hokonya another UNICEF WASH Specialist enumerated the benefits of provision of potable water to include job creation. She presented facts and figures depicting the current situation on provision of water and environmental sanitation in Nigeria and therefore urged journalists to work at prompting the government to invest in provision of potable water.
On the part of the state, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel who was represented at the media dialogue by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Political, Legislative Affairs and Water Resources, Mr. Nse Edem disclosed that the State Government is providing new strategic policies that would ensure provision of potable water across the State.