Water Supply Challenges in Developing Countries with Examples from Nigeria

Many developing nations not only have population and pollution issues, but also serious water related problems. Nigeria, African's most populated country, with, about 150 million people, has limited water supply not only in the arid to semiarid north, but also in the southern region along the Atlantic Ocean. Although there should be sufficient water in the south, the lack of consistent and deliberate exploitation of the water resources make for poor water quality, limiting the availability of water supply in the region. About half of the country's population depend on shallow wells, which are susceptible to contamination. Waste disposal appear to be a major source of biological and chemical pollutants to both surface and ground waters. Although some water tested from the southwest shows that the water being sold to the public in the streets in most cases is good quality water, the indiscriminate siting and abandonment of hand dug wells, location of trash, landfills, and filling of wetlands, may constitute more time bombs ready to go off as some wells are beginning to show signs of contamination from these refuse/landfill sites. A report by the World Bank in 2000 shows a strong link between income, access and productivity, and a report by online PBS news hour on April 15, 2009 highlights scarce water supply and high food prices. Examples of surface water, and groundwater problems from Lake Chad region to the north and Delta, Lagos and Ogun States to the south of Nigeria will be presented. It becomes imperative to manage the water resources in an integrated and sustainable manner if we are to alleviate water related problems in the country.