Imperative of Gender and Inclusion in Urban Water Services: Prospects and Challenges
Mary Omble Wuya
ABSTRACT
The gender gap in access to water and sanitation services is one of the challenges Nigeria faces. Government have implemented policies towards bridging such gap but a lot needs to be done to bridge the gap which is absolutely necessary if sustainability is to be achieved. In making efforts towards bridging the existing gap, women, children and people with special needs should be taken into account. Women and Children are considered to be vulnerable in society people with special needs are discriminated against. They are not included in provision of goods and services. Policies are not made that recognizes their dispositions. So, when providing services their needs should also be taken into consideration. The research is a social survey in which data gathering was done using the questionnaires as instrument of data collection. The analysis was achieved through simple frequencies and percentages. The findings indicated challenges of women, girls and people with special needs such as numerous adverse health effects due to lack of adequate access to water and sanitation and hygiene. When water points are not available in households, women and girls will seek water by trekking for long distances and spending time sourcing for water that could have been utilized for other productive activities. Out of fear, women and girls may choose to ignore their needs which may increase the likelihood of urinary tract infections, chronic constipation or mental stress, due to lack of access to affordable water services. Recommendations included government policies, availability of affordable water services, facilities and orientation on water management and payment for services.
