PERSISTENT water shortage is not a new issue. But even as it gets worse, it has continued to receive only scant attention from governments at all levels. Of significant concern is the prediction by experts that water shortage and crisis loom in the country unless governments join forces to address the problem. Some studies indicate that 70 million Nigerians have no access to potable water. Not surprisingly the UN World Water Day, observed recently, provided opportunity to reflect on the critical issue of water supply for human socio-economic wellbeing. Needless to emphasise that the importance of water could only be ignored with dire consequences on economic sustainability and environmental stability.It is worrisome that after many years of efforts to make potable water easily accessible to the population, that objective remains a mirage. Commercial agriculture is also threatened. Critical as water shortage is in many major cities, the condition in the rural communities is more pathetic, occasioning frequent epidemic of water borne diseases, which debilitate rural inhabitants.Worldwide, water scarcity has continued to worsen, particularly in the developing countries where lack of capacity to harness available water resources coupled with corruption, compound the problem. As the world population increases, the situation can only get worse.For instance, with the world population standing at seven billion people and another two billion expected to be added by 2050, the demand for water in all ramifications is bound to rise astronomically. Even with the estimated consumption rate of two to four litres per person per day, the stock of fresh water resources is under intense pressure. Thus, it has been predicted that future wars might well be over control and access to water resources.Incidentally, Nigeria has been listed among the 48 countries that may experience water shortage by 2025, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Country Representative in Nigeria. That serves as early warning to the country and for which action should be taken urgently. On his part, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has warned that there would be global hunger if water was not made available for the nourishment of the agricultural sector. These scenarios call for integrated management of water resources to meet varying demands for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes.Based on the present bleak situation, it is now feared that Nigeria might not meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on water and sanitation until 2023. The target year for the MDG being 2015 ' barely three years away.It is instructive that the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, has called for synergy and harmonisation of plans of all stakeholders in the water and agriculture sub-sectors to tackle the challenges of water and food security confronting the nation. She should do more. As minister, she should be spearheading concrete efforts to reverse the fearful trend. Disjointed action and or abandonment of earlier national strategies appear to have scuttled efforts at making water available.Water scarcity in Nigeria stems mostly from gross mismanagement of the available water resources. Nigeria is known to have high drainage density. If the available surface and ground water stock were properly managed, the problem would be greatly minimised. Distribution is bound to be a challenge, but it should not be insurmountable. Despite the disparity between the northern and southern parts of the country in terms of water availability, management of the huge stock of freshwater in the south remains paramount.Large segments of the population in both urban and rural areas are exposed to unhealthy sources of water, with the consequent water borne diseases, such as cholera, dysentery, gastroenteritis, among others that are endemic in Nigeria. Lack of water translates to poor sanitation and hygienic practices.Government must address lack of electricity as a corollary of problems of water supply. The epileptic power supply situation in the country has frustrated the efforts of state water boards to serve their teeming consumers. There is also the problem of pollution of both surface and underground waters arising from boreholes and hand-dug wells, especially in the urban areas. The underground water is exploited indiscriminately without regulation or documentation. Plans to regulate the sinking of boreholes may, however, not work without first making public water supply available.Government should prepare for this looming emergency and assume responsibility through state water boards, to provide water to the people. The Federal Government should be involved in the building of dams and reservoirs. The facilities should be maintained and safety measures keenly observed.The Ministry of Water Resources needs to make greater impact than it has hitherto done. At the moment there is the impression that it is only heard during celebration of World Water Day. The states and local governments should also rise to their responsibility to provide water for the people.
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