The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has approved a sum of US $18M set to be used for water projects in the rural of Niger.
The loan will see improvement of access to drinking water and sanitation through construction of 45 drinking water supply systems in several regions of the country including Dosso, Maradi, Tahoua and Tillabéri.
READ:Morocco launches water project to interconnect Sebou and Bouregreg basins
Drinking water and sanitation
The water supply systems will be equipped with facilities to pump, transport, store and distribute drinking water. On the sanitation side, the project involves the construction of 334 latrine blocks in schools and health centres, which will reduce open defecation. This practice is the cause of water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea, which cause the death of nearly 13,800 children under the age of five each year, according to the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) WaterAid, which is responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene issues.
In Niger, access to drinking water and sanitation is still very low in Niger with large disparities between urban and rural areas and between regions. Only 56% of the population has access to a source of drinking water with a 7% increase in the supply of services between 2012 and 2015. Only 13% of the population has access to basic sanitation services.
Open defecation is practiced by more than 71% of the population with serious consequences on health, nutrition, education or economic development. Only 22.7% of schools have access to drinking water and 26.7% access to sanitation facilities. In addition, school-age girls do not have adequate menstrual hygiene management services.