Abuja – The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has identified insufficient funding as a challenge to providing humanitarian response to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the country.
Mr Ibiyemi Olu-Daniels, Deputy Director, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Emergency with the ministry, said this in Abuja on Wednesday.
Olu-Daniels said that development partners like the UN Children’s Fund, Christian Aid, were providing WASH emergency needs to IDPs camps, adding that more needed to be done.
He said the ministry was at the forefront of advocating for the right of every Nigerian to clean water and sanitation.
Olu-Daniels stated that IDP camps would continue to need emergency latrines construction and hand pump water points.
He said the ministry realised that part of its mandate was to seek out ways to enable more Nigerians have access to basic water and sanitation facilities.
The Deputy Director said that those in the IDPs camps should not be left behind in the government’s efforts to improve the living conditions of the citizenry.
He said that WASH’s activities needed to be scaled up in such camps to reduce possible outbreak of preventable diseases and deaths.
He explained that the ministry was working to contribute to the realisation of children’s rights to survival and development through global and national promotion of sector investment and support to programmes.
He added that such programmes would increase equitable and sustainable access to, and use of safe water and basic sanitation services, and promote improved hygiene.
He explained that access to water and sanitation would reduce incidences of preventable deaths.
The deputy director said no fewer than 500,000 children die from preventable diseases caused by unsafe water and sanitation.
He also disclosed that 10 per cent of the world’s populations live without access to drinking water.
He stressed the need for all stakeholders to play their part to ensure that Nigerians live healthy and productive lives.
He called for continuous assessment in camps and villages to meet immediate needs and bridge gaps in water, sanitation and hygiene needs.
Olu-Daniels called on all tiers of government to have concrete plans and programmes on water and sanitation.
According to him, such programmes will enable the nation to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.
He also urged state governments to speedily reconstruct communities affected by insurgency, so as to ensure that IDPs return to their various homes.
