Water supply and sanitation in Nigeria

Access

In 2015, 69% of the total population had access to "improved water supply". This was 80% of the urban population and 57% of the rural population. In 2015, around 58 million people lacked access to "improved" water. As for sanitation, only 29% of the total population had access to "improved" sanitation. This was 33% of the urban population and 25% of the rural population. Approximately 130 million people still lacked access to "improved" sanitation.

Access to an improved water source stagnated at 47% from 1990 to 2006, but increased to 54% in 2010. In urban areas, access to an improved water source actually decreased from 80% to 65% in 2006, but it then recovered to 74% in 2010. However, in urban areas access to standpipes substituted to a large extent to piped water access.

Adequate sanitation is typically in the form of septic tanks, as there is no central sewerage system, except for Abuja and some areas of Lagos. A 2006 study estimated that only 1% of Lagos households were connected to sewers. Lagos has four wastewater treatment plants which have been rehabilitated around 2010. As of 2011, the state planned to build ten new "mega wastewater treatment plants" over the next five years with the help of private investors. These have not yet been completed.

The statistics on access to water and sanitation are conflicting, due to divergent definitions, indicators and methodologies applied by different agencies. There is hardly any sector monitoring.

Service quality

According to the World Bank, in 2010 water production facilities in Nigeria were “rarely operated to capacity due to broken down equipment, or lack of power or fuel for pumping.” The operating cost of water agencies is increased by the need to rely on diesel generators or even having to build their own power plants, since power supply is erratic. Equipment and pipes are poorly maintained, leading to intermittent supply and high levels of non-revenue water.

As of 2000, about 80% of all government-owned water systems in small towns were non-operational. Through investments and capacity building for communities, the functionality of water points can be increased in the short term. For example, in focus communities supported by UNICEF in Kwara State, functionality has improved from 53% to 98%, and in Kebbi State the functionality of boreholes has improved from 12% to 88%. However, it is not clear how well these facilities will continue to function in the long term, after international intervention has ended.

Efficiency

Water supply and sanitation are not provided efficiently in Nigeria. For example, State Water Agencies are massively overstaffed. In 2000, there were about 70 staff per 1,000 customers in State Water Agencies, compared to a best practice ratio of 3.5. Non-revenue water often exceeds 50 percent.

Abuja

Nigeria's capital Abuja receives part of its drinking water from the lower Usuma dam. The capacity of the plant that treats surface water from the dam’s reservoir was in the process of being increased in 2012 in order to cater for the growing population of the capital. The Guara dam, which was under construction in 2012, is expected to further increase water supply to Abuja and to mitigate against the risk of drought. Wastewater is treated in a 131,200 cubic meters per day plant at Wupa that was completed in 2007. The Federal Capital Territory, through the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, has contracted a private operator to run the plant. However, when the government apparently failed to pay the operator he walked away, confronting the area with a pollution crisis.

Lagos

Nigeria's largest city Lagos is surrounded by water from the sea and a lagoon. Its clean water supply in the city is about 81.32%. But since the raw water in the lagoon is too polluted, the city gets its water from Ogun River and Owo River. The city's oldest water treatment plant, located in Iju on the Ogun River, was built in 1910. It was expanded in stages to 45m gallons per day. Another smaller plant was built at Ishashi on the Owo River in the 1970s. The biggest plant so far was commissioned in 1991 in Adiyan with a capacity of 70m gallons per day. It also draws from the Owo River. There are also seven mini-waterworks drawing from local sources with a combined capacity of 18m gallons per day. The Lagos Water Corporation states that the water produced in the plant meets the highest standards, and that it supplies "safe drinking water in sufficient and regular quantity to over 12.5 million people in Lagos State". However, water is often contaminated in the distribution network and people distrust tap water quality. Electricity supply interruptions prevent treatment plants from operating continuously. However, a dedicated 12.15 MW power plant was under construction in 2012 to supply power to the Adiyan, Iju and Akute water treatment plants. Households also source water from numerous private shallow wells. Or households rely on street vendors, creating a thriving market for “sachet water”, purified water packaged in polyethylene pouches. Water vendors called Mairuwa sell water from tanks and drums on carts, which is sometimes sold to other vendors that carry water in buckets or gerry cans. Access to water provided by the state Water Corporation is 'metropocentric' i.e., centred around the metropolis.

Makurdi

In Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, only about 25-30% of the population are served and inhabitants fetch raw water in buckets from the polluted Benue river. In 2008 the construction of a water treatment plant was left unfinished and officials were unable to account for USD 6 million. As of 2012, a water treatment plant was under construction as part of the Greater Makurdi Waterworks Project. According to Nat Apir, an independent water consultant, the lack of a modern distribution network will lead pipes to burst and the capacity of the plant is at risk of not being fully utilized.

Other cities

Kano is supplied from local rivers and from groundwater which is over-exploited. Public water supply is deficient, so that private water selling points are multiplying and generate profits for their private operators. Kaduna receives drinking water from the Kaduna River. Ibadan receives its drinking water from Eleyele dam.

National policies and initiatives

Nigeria's National Water Supply and Sanitation Policy, approved in 2000, encourages private-sector participation and envisages institutional and policy reforms at the state level. However, little has happened in both respects. As of 2007, only four of the 37 states - Lagos, Cross River, Kaduna and Ogun States - began to introduce public-private partnerships (PPP) in the form of service contracts, a form of PPP where the responsibility of the private sector is limited to operating infrastructure without performance incentives. While the government has a decentralization policy, little actual decentralization has happened. The capacity of local governments to plan and carry out investments, or to operate and maintain systems, remains low despite efforts at capacity development. Furthermore, the national policy focuses on water supply and neglects sanitation.

In 2003 a “Presidential Water Initiative (PWI): Water for People, Water for Life” was launched by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo. The initiative had ambitious targets to increase access, including a 100 percent water access target in state capitals, 75 percent access in other urban areas, and 66 percent access in rural areas. Little has been done to implement the initiative and targets have not been met.

In 2011 the government voted in the United Nations in favor of a resolution making water and sanitation a human right. However, it has not passed legislation to enshrine the human right to water and sanitation in national law. The country is not on track to reach the Millennium Development Goal for water and sanitation.

Since 2008 community-led total sanitation has been introduced in six states, with the support of UNICEF and the EU. While not being a national policy, apparently this grass-roots initiative has met with some success. More than 17,000 latrines have been built in 836 communities, and more than 100 of these communities have attained the goal of being declared free of open defecation.

Responsibilities

Three levels of government share responsibility for the delivery of water supply services. The responsibility for sanitation is not always clear, but urban sanitation is a responsibility of state governments.

Federal Government

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, which had been part of the Ministry of Agriculture for a period until 2010, is responsible for large water resources development projects and water allocation between states. There are 12 River Basin Development Authorities under the Ministry, responsible for planning and developing water resources, irrigation work and the collection of hydrological, hydro-geological data. They also provide water in bulk to cities from dams. A Utilities Charges Commission was established in 1992 to monitor and regulate utility tariffs, including those of State Water Agencies.

State Governments

Responsibility for potable water supply is entrusted to State Water Agencies (SWAs) or state water departments in the 36 Nigerian states. The SWAs are responsible to their state governments, generally through a State Ministry of Water Resources. SWAs are responsible for urban water supply, and in some states also for rural water supply. As of 2000, 22 states had separate state rural water and sanitation agencies, mostly set up to implement a UNICEF program. In 2010, Lagos state set up a State Wastewater Management Office under the Lagos State Water Corporation. It took the responsibility for sanitation over from the State Ministry of Environment.

Local Governments

The Local Government Authorities (LGAs), of which there are 774, are responsible for the provision of rural water supplies and sanitation facilities in their areas although only a few have the resources and skills to address the problem. Only few LGAs have rural water supply divisions.

Communities

In some communities in rural areas, water and sanitation committees (WASCOs) have been formed to operate and maintain water facilities. These committees are supposed to collect their own water tariffs. Donors such as the African Development Bank have set a requirement that at least 30% of members of WASCOs must be women. In 1993 the Government committed itself to strengthen community participation in rural water supply in a policy document. As of 2000, the policy had not been disseminated or implemented in all government- or donor-financed programs.

Civil society

Nigeria's Water and Sanitation sector has a vibrant and dynamic civil society implementing several initiatives to address sectoral crisis. The Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) is the umbrella network of WASH NGOs, while the Water and Sanitation Media Network www.wash-jn.net comprises Journalists reporting the sector. A leading non governmental organisation in the sector is Bread of Life Development Foundation which manages the eWASH webblog www.assemblyonline.info on water and sanitation news in Nigeria

Tariffs and cost recovery

Flat rates for unmetered connections. Most Nigerian water supply connections are not metered. The metering ratio varies from 7% in Katsina to 16% in Kaduna and 24% in Lagos in 2007. Unmetered customers are charged a flat rate independent of consumption. For unmetered residential customers the monthly flat rate was USD 3 in Lagos, USD 5 in Katsina and USD 11 in Kaduna. In Yobe state it was only Naira 100 (USD 0.60) per month, the lowest level in the country according to the Yobe State Water Corporation. The tariff revenues covered only 2% of the costs of supplying water.

Tariffs for metered connections. Metered customers are either charged a linear tariff, as it is the case in Lagos, or an increasing-block tariff, as it is the case in Katsina and Kaduna. Under the increasing-block tariff, the tariff per cubic meter increases stepwise with consumption beginning at a consumption of 30m3 per month with a total of 3 to 6 blocks. The residential tariff for the first block of consumption is USD 0.19 per m3 in Kaduna and USD 0.44 per m3 in Katsina. Tariffs for commercial and industrial users are higher. The average water tariff for metered customers was Naira 50 per m3 (USD 0.30) in Oyo state and Naira 16 per m3 (USD 0.10) in Taraba state in 2009.

Tariff collection. Outdated information systems and inconsistent billing practices cause additional revenue losses. The revenue collection rate is very low. In some areas it is less than 10% of billed amounts. There are significant arrears, particularly from government agencies.

Tariff adjustments. Each state sets its own water tariff. Tariff adjustments need to be approved by the State Executive Council through a lengthy procedure. Being unable to cover their operating costs, and unable to secure regular revisions of the tariff, the State Water Agencies receive financial assistance from the state governments.

Vendor prices. Surveys of street vendors in Lagos, Kaduna and Katsina show that they charge as much as 20 times more than the State Water Agencies. The amount paid, for a very limited volume of supply from private water vendors, can be four to ten times that of one month’s much larger volume of tap supply.

Investment

For Nigeria to meet the Millennium Development Goal for water supply by 2015, the country needs to invest approximately N215 billion (USD 1.3 billion) annually. Nigeria is currently investing not more than N82.5 billion (USD 0.5 billion) into the sector. Much of these investments are needed to rehabilitate infrastructure that has not been properly maintained. It is not clear if the estimate includes sanitation or not.

Financing

While all three government levels are supposed to participate in financing water and sanitation investments, local governments often do not have the resources to do so. State and federal levels also provide only limited funding. Thus, most public water and sanitation investments in Nigeria are financed by donors. The sharing of oil and tax revenues between different levels of government is a politically sensitive issue in Nigeria, which is divided between a Muslim North and a mostly Christian South and where one region in the South accounts for all oil revenues. Between 1948 and 2001, nine commissions, six military decrees, one Act of the legislature and two Supreme Court judgements have attempted to define fiscal interrelationships among the component parts of the federation without resolving the issue. Federal revenues include about 90 percent of government revenues, including oil royalties and import duties. These are pooled with the more limited state and local revenues, and the pooled resources are then shared by the three levels of government according to an agreed formula. After independence the federal government received 40% of revenues and the states 60%, an arrangement that would benefit the oil-producing region in the Niger Delta. Local governments had no share. After the Biafra War the share of federal government was increased to 80% in 1968, but was subsequently decreased again. Since the 1976 Local Government Reform, local government receives its own share of revenues. As of 1999, the share of local government was 20%, the state share was 24% and the share of the federal government and for special projects was 56%.