The United Nations Children Fund ( UNICEF) says more than 1.42 billion people including 450 million children live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.
According to UNICEF , the number of Nigerian children experiencing high or extremely high vulnerability accounts for 26.5 million representing 29 per cent .
UNICEF stated this in a statement on Monday marking “World Water Day”
UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria,Peter Hawkins said, ‘ The world’s water crisis is not coming – It is here, and children are its biggest victims.
” When wells dry up, children are the ones missing school to fetch water. When droughts diminish food supplies,, children suffer from malnutrition and stunting. When floods hit, children fall ill from waterborne illnesses.And when water is not available in Nigerian communites, children cannot wash their hands to fight off diseases” he said.
Although about 70 per cent of Nigeriars have access to basic water services, more than half of the water sources are contaminated where there is access to reliable water source , only nine litres of water on average is available to satisfy the daily water need of a Nigerian.
