Stakeholders in the water sector have raised the alarm over the high level of water contamination in Nigeria, warning that unsafe drinking water continues to pose significant health risks to millions.

The concerns were raised yesterday at the inaugural Water Quality Conference 2025 in Abuja, organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, in collaboration with the National Core Group on Water Quality.

Climate and WASH manager, UNICEF, Chiranjibi Tiwari, in a goodwill message, gave alarming statistics indicating that over two-thirds of Nigeria’s water sources were contaminated.

These contaminants, he noted, are responsible for several waterborne diseases, including cholera and typhoid, which continue to ravage communities across the federation.

Tiwari stated: “More than 111,000 cholera cases were recorded in 2021, leading to 3,600 deaths. Although the numbers declined in subsequent years, we still saw 592 deaths in 2022 and 128 in 2023. Even Lagos, which was not traditionally affected, experienced a cholera outbreak in 2024.”

He warned that unless urgent action is taken, the nation’s economic productivity could suffer, as children, youths, and the working population remain vulnerable to waterborne diseases.

He, therefore, called for multi-sectoral collaboration, stressing that achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – universal access to clean water – requires government, private sector, and civil society engagement.

The Minister of Water Resources, and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, in his keynote address, reaffirmed the ministry’s obligation to ensure access to safe and clean water as a cornerstone for public health and national development.

He said despite significant hurdles, the ministry was leveraging advancements in water quality management, working with local and international partners to enhance public health, environmental sanitation, and access to clean water.

He hinted that a major component of this effort was the push to end open defecation, a critical step in improving water safety and sanitation nationwide, adding that safe water is not just a public health issue, but also a national economic and environmental priority.