By Brakerekebina Birinimighan
The Niger Delta region in Nigeria has a vast area of its land mass covered by water but the inhabitants barely have access to drinking water. Pollution as a result of oil exploration, curious toileting attitude and indiscriminate waste disposal has made it pretty difficult for this vital resource to come by.
In the Niger Delta region, water pollution caused by oil spill, flared gas, open defecation and solid waste has made this vital resource rather challenging to come by. In most of the communities in the region, streams, wells, boreholes, and rain serve as the major sources of drinking water.
This gory state of water and sanitation is pervasive in almost all the communities in the state, as well as the entire oil-rich, restive region, where decades of oil extraction has led to wide-scale contamination of the environment.
Indeed, the sanitation and waste management practice in these communities is equally worrisome as investigations reveal that the same river water which serves as drinking water equally serves as the only waste repository in the communities, as domestic wastes are dumped in the river and floating public toilets are built on the river bank.
This is the only source of drinking water in Igoba Community, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
See photos below:
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