The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that 78 million children in Nigeria are at risk of three water related threats.

UNICEF Nigeria chief of WASH, Jane Bevan, made this known in a statement on Monday, ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, from March 22-24, 2023.

UNICEF listed the threats as inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene-related diseases and climate hazards.

The statement read, “Seventy eight million children in Nigeria are at the highest risk from a convergence of three water-related threats – inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene; related diseases; and climate hazards – according to a new UNICEF analysis.

“In Nigeria, one-third of children do not have access to at least basic water at home, and two-thirds do not have basic sanitation services. Hand hygiene is also limited, with three-quarters of children unable to wash their hands due to lack of water and soap at home. As a result, Nigeria is one of the 10 countries that carry the heaviest burden of child deaths from diseases caused by inadequate WASH, such as diarrhoeal diseases.

“Nigeria also ranks second out of 163 countries globally with the highest risk of exposure to climate and environmental threats. Groundwater levels are also dropping, requiring some communities to dig wells twice as deep as just a decade ago. At the same time, rainfall has become more erratic and intense, leading to floods that contaminate scarce water supplies.

The organisation called for an investment in climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

“If we continue at the current pace, it will take 16 years to achieve access to safe water for all in Nigeria. We cannot wait that long, and the time to move quickly is now. Investing in climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services is not only a matter of protecting children’s health today, but also ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come,” Jane added.