The USAID Launches $3.5m Activity To Improve Water Safety In Jigawa, Kano

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to launch a three-year $3.5 million Water Improvement and Sanitation Enhancement (WISE) activity with the Partners for Development to improve water safety in Jigawa and Kano State.

The USAID, in a statement, said that the WISE activity would reduce the occurrence and effects of waterborne diseases through their improvements in gaining proper access to clean drinking water and sanitation, and the adoption of key hygiene behaviors. They explained that one of the first tasks would be to construct or rehabilitate 30 water access points and start the installation of 55 sanitation facilities in schools and community health centres.

The USAID Deputy Mission Director Katie Donohoe remarked that, “Access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services within a community are the cornerstone of a healthy, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria. When this is done, each community will have a first line defense against the spread of infectious disease and allow children to spend more time in school.”

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On his part, the Deputy Governor of Jigawa State Umar Namadi stated: “Water is life, and it has been one of the priorities of the Jigawa State government. We are ready to cooperate with the USAID WISE activity to ensure that safe drinking water is provided to the people of the state.”

The statement displayed that in the 2019 Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping report, 2 out of 5 schools in Jigawa State, and 3 out of 4 schools in Kano State did not have access to reliable drinking water. The statement also stated that frontline healthcare workers also lacked access to safe water and struggle to deliver high quality health services.

It also noted that the survey found that over half of community water access services in Jigawa broke down within their first year of operation, while over 20 percent in Kano no longer functioned after six months. The statement added that the WISE activity would work toward addressing some of the deficiencies and increase the capacity of local stakeholders to sustain and manage equitable access to water and sanitation.