WaterAid, LDSC unveil $300,000 WASH project in Lagos

A non-govermental organisation,WaterAid with support from Latter-Day Saints Charities (LDSC), is strengthening Water and Sanitation Delivery project in Ikorodu North and Ojodu Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) of Lagos state with $300,000.

Country Director WaterAid Evelyn Mere, disclosed this during a keynote speech at the official unveiling of the project on Thursday in Lagos.

The project would be providing increased access to clean water, as well as improved sanitation and hygiene behaviour in target communities in the state.

According to her, the $300,000 project, is expected to reach about 10,500 persons with improved access to clean water as well as safely managed sanitation services.

She disclosed that other deliverable of the project included key hygiene behavioural change promotion in target communities over the next 12 months.

“It will combine key strategies including service delivery interventions, hygiene behaviour change approaches.

“Institutional strengthening to address acute water and sanitation needs for vulnerable and marginalised communities in the state,” Mere said.

She noted that while the government’s efforts in accelerating water and sanitation access were commendable, Nigeria still had some of the largest gaps in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

According to her, an estimated 68 million Nigerians are without access to basic drinking water, 171 million lack handwashing facilities with soap, 113 million do not have adequate toilets, and 48 million practice open defecation.

She said that lack of access to adequate WASH services disproportionately affects persons with disabilities, women and girls, who spend hours each day fetching water, and unable to work or go to school.

She said that poor access to improved water and sanitation also remains a major cause of high morbidity and mortality rates among children under five in Nigeria,

“Lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene has detrimental effects on the health, education, economic growth, and development of the population.

“It makes it difficult for communities to practice proper handwashing which is critical to controlling the spread of infectious and deadly diseases,” Mere added.

She said that WaterAid would construct and rehabilitate water and sanitation facilites in collaboration with government and civil society partners.

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