Help from water experts could help thousands of Nigerians who will otherwise die each year as a result of diseases from drinking of unsafe water, engineer Michael Ale told journalists today.
A member of the World Water Council, Ale spoke to a group in southwest Nigeria, explaining that the country has yet to set in motion plans to reduce the number of people without access to safe water and good sanitation by the year 2015 — a goal set by the United Nations.
According to Ale, nearly all of the sachet water, bottled water and public water boreholes constructed by the government are unsafe. "Most of our so called potable water is only being treated with chlorine and alum, which is not enough to make it safe for drinking … still carries microbial contamination which is dangerous to human health," he said.
He added that the existing water supply contains a lot of contaminants, such as mercury, titanium and fluorine — toxins which can cause cancer if not removed.
He lamented that even Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) — the official body charged with approving sachet and bottled water — does not have professionals capable of recommending safe water for the public.
"What NAFDAC has are pharmacists who man its laboratory. They don't have qualified water engineers and scientists trained to ensure the safety of water being consumed by the people," Ale explained.
Ale described water management in Nigeria as very poor and suggested that in providing water dams and boreholes, the government should also provide effective purification devices.
Source: AllAfrica.com
