The quality of drinking water available to a people according to the World health Organization is a powerful environment determinant of health.
Similarly, the assurance of a clean drinking water is a foundation for the prevention and control of water borne diseases. Water, sanitation and hygiene have impacts on both health and diseases. Clean water is therefore considered the major contributor to improve health of a people.
Water related diseases include those due to micro-organisms and chemicals in water people drink.
Diseases like malaria with water related vectors, diseases like schistosomiasis which have part of their life cycle in water and others too numerous to mention pose a major threat to human health.
A significant amount of disease can be prevented through better access to safe water supply, adequate sanitation facilities and better hygiene practices.
Little wonder in 2000, a 2015 target date was fixed for the eradication of poverty, and maternal mortality by the United Nation, using the Millennium Development Goals.
In Nigeria about 2 million people, most of them children less than 5 years of age, living in extreme conditions of poverty, normally rural inhabitant’s are most affected.
But with some days left towards achieving the most ambitious anti poverty programme to propel the millennium development goals (MDGS) across the finish line, the Kogi State Government has significantly joined in considerably halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education to all by the target date of 2015 especially with noticeable increase in the girl child enrollment.
Since the assumption of the Captain Idris Wada’s administration, the office of the MDGs constitute one among the most effective anti-poverty campaign measure used in reducing poverty and burden of diseases by the Capt Idris Wada led administration.
With a greater population of the world according to the world health organization living without adequate sanitation facilities, nearly 800 million others, according to WHO still do not have access to improve source of drinking water protected from outside contamination.
Kogi State is certainly not left out of the sanitation water challenge, mostly that several of its communities are rural in nature. Women and girls trek miles for drinking water and miss out on productive work or school education.
Similarly, several people mostly children die every day drinking unsafe water, lack of basic sanitation and poor hygiene.
The cheering news however is that the intervention by the Kogi State Government through the State Millennium development goals, which has made remarkable contribution in the provision of good drinking water one of its crucial area of intervention, alongside health and education deserves commendation.
Appraising the achievements made by the Kogi State office of MDGs in 2012 in particular, under the directives of the State Governor as supervised by Nasiru Yunusa, several intervention in the water sector, were successfully carried out in the areas of reticulation, cap drilling of productive bore holes and the provision of several overhead tanks across the State.
It is heart warming to note that following the Governor’s matching order and prompt payment of the counterpart fund under the 2012 MDGs / Conditional Grant Scheme project track, the State MDGs embarked and completed seventy three projects with over eighty percent of the projects water related at both the state and LGA’s.
For example the State MDGs in 2012 carried out 600m reticulation work in Ate uge, Ajogala, Ikakpala, Udaba, Ajikagbo Ulaja and Girinya all in Dekina and Kogi LGAs.
Similarly, the State office of the MDG’s in 2012 drilled and cap productive boreholes in communities in Yagba west, Dekina, Okehi, Bassa, Ofu, Igalamela, Olamaboro, Mopa-Muro and Kogi LGAs’ just to also mention a few. Specific water projects were also carried out in Bassa,Okehi and Igalamela/Odolu LGA’s.
The MDG’s office also undertook the installation of over head tanks in several locations across the State.
Several gate houses, perimeter fences as well as the supply and installation of solar panel and plumbing system were embarked upon by the State MDG’s in some communities across the State.
New primary health care centres in Ogbogbo – Igalamela Odolu – LGA, Emidale in Bassa LGA, Ajonuch-egbo in Dekina LGA and in Agojeju in Dekina were constructed in 2012. Some others in other Local Government Areas are at various stages of completion.
Also as part of its 2012 CGS project track geared towards improving the health of rural dwellers, the primary health care in Adoji, Emewe Ogane, Omewa Opada and several others across the States have been completed.
It is commendable to note that the progress report of MDG’s in Nigeria shows that the combined actions of the State Government and its relevant agencies has made the achievements of MDG’s reality in reducing water related diseases,child and maternal mortality.
Kogi State MDGs have proven that the focused developmental objectives of the Capt Idris Wada’s administration has made the profound difference.
With the success and emphasis the State MDG’s has placed in the provision of good drinking water, it has no doubt helped in reducing water borne diseases and ill health making children and adults economically less productive and straining already weak health systems.
The efforts in providing rural communities with good drinking water by the office of the Kogi State MDG’s, loss in school days due to water related illness has no doubt been reduced.
Economically, every dollar according to the United Nations spent or sanitation and water leads to a five dollar return and an increase in gross domestic product annually.
Health reports rating in Nigeria so far indicates that the intensive efforts of the Captain Idris Wada led administration to achieve the Millennium Development Goals have clearly improve the health of rural dwellers in the State.
Though the situation is still far from being described as satisfactory as the progress presently made is uneven and a large gaps persists between and within the State.
Sanitation and water no doubt deserves the attention of all stakeholders as there is increasing evidence that they are critical to all development challenges the people face.
Robust planning, institutional strengthening, better resource utilization and a higher investment on water and sanitation as presently done under the Kogi State MDGs has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of rural dwellers in the State
2013 MDG’s – CGS proposed projects promises to take the efforts of Capt Idris Wada’s administration to the next level of the transformation agenda in the water sector in Kogi State.
Abu Micheal.
Chief Press Secretary to Kogi State Deputy Governor.
