UNICEF report says 26.5m Nigerian children affected by water shortage

UNICEF report says 26.5 millian Nigerian children affected by water shortage
As the world commemorates 2021 World Water Day, a new analysis by the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has shown that 26.5 million Nigerian children are experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability.

UNICEF, while describing the trend as worrisome, explained that nearly one third of children in Nigeria do not have enough water to meet their daily needs.

The analysis also revealed that globally, more than 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability. This means that 1 in 5 children worldwide does not have enough water to meet their everyday needs.

According to the analysis, Nigeria is among the hotspot countries which face dire circumstances, in terms of absolute numbers, the proportions of children affected, and where global resources, support and urgent action must be mobilized. Others includes Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen.

The UNICEF data further show that children in more than 80 countries live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability. Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest proportion of children living in such areas, with more than half of children, 58 per cent , facing difficulty accessing sufficient water every day.