Nigeria’s Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu has said that the climate challenge remained the biggest health challenge facing humanity.
Adamu made this known in Abuja while addressing the multi-stakeholder dialogue/engagement on the triple crises (climate, health and economic recovery), the key role of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and the needed actions.
According to Adamu who was represented by the Coordinator, Clean Nigeria, Mrs Chizoba Okpara, climate change was also affecting the social and environmental determinants of health such as clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.
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He noted that the ministry of water resources had set up a National WASH Emergency Response Committee in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID- 19 pandemic in recognition of the key role of WASH in tackling the impact of the triple crises.
He maintained that these platforms helped to provide the needed support to states and ensure that WASH services were being prioritised across the country, adding that 78 of the 774 Local Government Areas of the country have been declared open defecation free.
He, however, explained that a lot remained to be done to move the remaining 696 LGAs to open defecation free status and sustain the 78 LGAs as open defecation free, with the deadline of Open Defecation Free Target set at 2025.
Story was adapted from Thisday.
