FG And Stakeholders Call For Climate-Resilient Water Facilities 1

The Federal Government and stakeholders in the water sector have expressed concern over the increasing threats of climate change hazards on water facilities across the country

At a validation workshop in Abuja, stakeholders emphasized the need for climate-resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Declaring the workshop open,Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.Mr. Richard Pheelangwah noted that  the current WASH facilities are highly vulnerable to climate change effects, including worsening drought conditions and declining groundwater levels in northern Nigeria, and irregular rainfall and flash floods in central and southern regions.

The validation meeting aimed to produce technical designs for WASH facilities that meet global standards and are climate-resilient, gender-inclusive, and accessible to people with disabilities.

Mr. Pheelangwah stressed that climate change is the most profound challenge facing humanity, and Nigeria must adapt to it.

He added that Nigeria has made commitments to achieving universal access to sustainable Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services for all by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6 targets.

*Water availability per capita is gradually decreasing, water tables are getting deeper, and WASH facilities are at risk of damage due to floods, hence strategic actions are needed to make the sector resilient to climate changes with communities taking the lead”

“WASH facilities are threatened by climate change and must be resilient to support building wider community resilience and health resilience. Climate threats to WASH facilities are substantial. Increased flooding will damage infrastructure, degrade catchments, and contaminate water supplies”

In  his welcome address,the Director of Supply and Support Services, Mr. Mukaili Babarinde, emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to address climate change effects.

“We all know that climate Change has become a threat globally and our current WASH facilities are highly vulnerable to climate change. It is based on this premise that, the Department of Water Supply and Support Services in collaboration with UNICEF had established the need to review and revise some of the existing WASH facilities Designs and Technical Specifications as a result of the global changing climate” he stressed

In his presentation, the WASH Manager, UNICEF Mr Chironjibi Tiwari who stated that water facilities is one of the most valuable to climate change challenges stressed the need for a proper review and revise of some existing Wash facilities to meet the global changing climate change.

Also the General Manager of the Adamawa State rural water supply and sanitation agency, Mr Emmanuel Esly stressed that the WASH sector must join hands together to come up with solutions to the current challenges facing the sector.

Georgina Humphrey, Edited By Shakira Alabi