Special Investigative Report On The Level Of Portable Water Within The IDP Camp In Borno State
By Babagana Jidda
Kanempress22nd May 2023
INTRODUCTION
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) has been a paramount challenge in Borno prior to the emergence of the insurgency in 2009. The persistent increase in population of IDPs in Maiduguri metropolitan has been alarming for the fact that the city is the only relatively calmed place in the state due to the social unrest. According to IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Round XIII (December 2020) there are 1,770,444 individuals being displaced and 314,574 households with an average House hold size of 7.2. This figure is increasing with the degree at which insurgent’s activities is spreading. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri are mostly living in formal, informal camps and host communities.
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri are mostly living in formal, informal camps and host communities. A significant number of humanitarian organizations and INGOs are working in the IDPs formal camps in collaboration with NEMA/SEMA to reduce the basic humanitarian needs gaps, while some others are operating in the host communities. But the number of IDPs staying in the informal camps, host communities and those trapped in remote areas of Borno is quiet alarming (75.66% of IDPs are living in host communities and 24.34% in informal camps according to IOM (Round VIII DTM).
There are significantly persistent demands in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) that has created a wide range of gaps as there has been overcrowding due to high population density in the community mostly affected by the escalated armed conflict. The significant number of displaced persons in Borno state taking shelter in IDP Host communities and Informal camps has made access to safe drinking water very difficult. Overcrowding has also resulted to dilapidated sanitation facilities which result in increase of open defecation in the IDP host communities. As a result of open defecation, gender based violence (GBV) becomes a re-occurring case where most girls and women were raped and even lynched as a result of their vulnerability. Humanitarian access in major LGAs of Borno state is still a big problem and there has been an increase in mortality rate of women and children due to lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and poor hygiene. Recently the Nigerian government calls for humanitarian intervention in hard to reach communities of Borno State as concerns were raised on the daily increased mortality rate as a direct result of lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and health services
As a result of over population in IDPs host communities with limited water infrastructures and sanitation facilities the government has been strained with limited options to cope with waste management. Furthermore the open defecation occurs in host communities and the lack of the waste management are both sources of contamination to the ground water at the level of the first aquifer and the river. Unfortunately many IDPs are forced to rely on the water source from the river and some of the borehole with poor equipment and pumping water from the first aquifer.
Formal, informal camps and host communities stand at the risk of the outbreak WASH related diseases due to lack of access to safe drinking water and poor sanitation and hygiene practices especially during the raining season.
It is in light of these gaps that ZOA received funds from EO Metterdaad to implement WASH program in Old Maiduguri, Jere LGA, Borno State. Sanitation and Hygiene Education Initiative (SAHEI) organization was engaged by ZOA to conduct hygiene promotion in Shuwari 2, 6 & 8 having established a baseline at the entry phase of the project in order to ascertain the knowledge, attitude and practices of the target informal camps and host communities that will be used to gauge the impact of the project during the final assessment.
LEVEL OF POTABLE WATER ACCESSIBILITY IN THE IDP CAMP IN BORNO STATE
Latest survey results released by NOIPolls Limited has revealed that the vast majority of IDPs in Borno State lack access to food, potable water and healthcare. Analysis shows that almost 9 in 10 IDPs (85 percent) do not have access to quality food and regular meals, about 8 in 10 IDPs (78 percent) do not have access to potable water, while almost 7 in 10 IDPs (69 percent) lack access to quality healthcare. These results represent a general overview of what is happening in both official and unofficial camps in Borno State.
In the words of some key stakeholders interviewed:
“The quality of food in IDP camps is inadequate particularly for lactating mothers, young children and the elderly” – Legal Practitioner & Civil Society Advocate
“The water is not enough for us. Don’t you see the long queue here? Since yesterday they have not put on the engine to pump water… For drinking, if those that are assisting us bring diesel, then we will have water. But if they do not come we will not have water to drink. I have to send my son out there to beg for water… It has been over a week now.” – Internally Displaced Person in Shuwari Camp Maiduguri
“Most us do not know where to go when we are sick because the health facility in the camp is grossly inadequate to carter for our health challenges and so we have to seek alternative means or the situation gets worse. The Doctors are nowhere to be found in most cases as they are always away and even when they are around, they give us the same kind of drugs for all ailments” – Internally Displaced Person in Bakassi Camp, Maiduguri.
Finally, from the survey it is clearly obvious that the overall welfare of IDPs in Borno State is quite deplorable. Hence, it is imperative that Government, INGOs, CSOs, FBOs and other relevant stakeholders synergize properly and use these research findings to proffer solutions to the plights of IDPs in Borno State
Over the years, the Federal government, State governments, the United Nations, Private donors, INGOs, CSOs and FBOs as well as other relevant stakeholders have committed funds, introduced several interventions to ameliorate the sufferings of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the sub-region and improve on their general welfare. Sadly, it appears their conditions have not improved considerably as echoed by anecdotal evidences and other indications on the Nigeria media. For example, there was a protest recently by IDPs in Borno state.[4] It was against this background that NOIPolls conducted an on-the-ground situational assessment survey on the state of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
On access to potable water, 78 percent of IDPs described access to water as either ‘Poor’ (63%) or ‘Very Poor’ (15%). Only 10 percent of IDPs rated access to clean water as ‘Average’, while 12 percent considered access to clean water as ‘Good’ (7%) or ‘Very Good’ (5%). Some challenges often associated with water in most camps include lack of diesel to pump water from boreholes, which often results into a situation of water scarcity for several days, leading to poor hygiene and sanitary conditions, and incidence of deaths in IDP camps.
RESPONSES GIVING BY INTERNALLY DISPLACD PERSONS(IDPs)
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Gubio camp, near Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeast Nigeria have lamented the shortage of water supply. They either have to trek long distances under extreme conditions to fetch some or buy at exorbitant prices.
“We buy water from a supplier who drives with a water tanker at N60 per 20-litre jerrycan,” Baba Zakari, an IDP in the camp, said.
Gubio camp used to depend on solar-powered boreholes which usually attracted long queues as members, mostly women and children, spent hours waiting for the slow running tap to fill up their vessels.
“But even the boreholes are no longer functioning well now, which created a very difficult water problem for us here.”
Aminatu Ibrahim, a mother of five children said, “my children and I have to trek as far as 3km under the scorching heat of the sun to fetch water.
I do not have N60 to buy a jerrycan of water from the water tanker that comes in here to sell.”
HumAngle observed that this is happening at a time of extreme weather conditions when the sun heats up to 45°c, causing general dehydration for those who have no artificial means of cooling their bodies.
“With this scarcity, there is little one can do with the available water,” Zakari said.
“Ordinarily, constant bathing is what is required in this heat period, especially during Ramadan, to survive dehydration, but that is not even possible.”
He said many of the IDPs have to worry less about their hygiene by skipping bathing to save water.
“Children may have to go for days without bathing and adults would rather not use soap to manage the little water in their homes,” said Balki Muhammadu, a mother of six children.
“We don’t know why ours is different here in Gubio camp. No food, no water and no one is talking about when they would take us out of this place.”
The lack of potable water in a crowded displacement centre like Gubio IDP Camp violates the Sustainable Development Goal 6, which insists that government and humanitarian organisations should “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”
CONCLUSION
Over 2.1 million IDPs living in camps and camp-like settings and host communities rely on a steady water supply and safe access to clean water to drink, prevent disease and keep their businesses afloat.
Ensuring access to safe, equitable and adequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services for the conflict-affected population is a crucial life-saving activity.
On this year’s World Water Day, we are asked to reflect on the value of water in our daily lives. For many of us, water may be taken for granted, but for the people in north-east Nigeria, such vital needs have in-commensurable value. For them, this day is another opportunity to wish for peace, and for the conflict to be washed away like a distant memory.
