The Federal Government, in collaboration with Self Help Africa (SHA), has launched two pilot initiatives aimed at improving access to safe drinking water in rural communities across Nigeria.
The projects Dispensers for Sustainable Rural Water in Nigeria (DiSuRWIN) and Optimising the Benefits of Inline Chlorination in Nigeria (OPTIC), were unveiled at a National Stakeholders’ Inception Workshop held in Abuja on Monday.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, who was represented by the Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Mr. Habu Jamilu, said the initiatives were timely interventions addressing persistent water quality challenges across the country.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop brought together representatives of relevant ministries, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector to agree on a collaborative implementation framework.
Utsev noted that while about 67 percent of Nigerians now have access to basic drinking water services, access to safely managed drinking water remains significantly lower.
“Only about 21.7 percent of the population has access to safely managed drinking water. In many cases, water is contaminated either at the source or at the point of use, especially in rural and peri-urban communities,” he said.
He stressed that unsafe water at the point of collection and consumption continues to pose serious public health risks, underscoring the need for interventions that prioritise water quality improvement, disinfection and risk reduction.
Utsev added that the initiatives were particularly important as Nigeria continues to record recurrent cholera outbreaks linked to contaminated water sources and inadequate treatment practices.
According to him, the ministry, through the Department of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, has intensified drinking water quality surveillance, emergency WASH responses and cholera prevention measures in collaboration with development partners, state governments and local councils.
“The DiSuRWIN and OPTIC projects will complement these efforts by strengthening preventive, community-level water safety measures rather than reacting to outbreaks after they occur,” he said.
He explained that DiSuRWIN would deploy chlorine dispensers at strategic points to ensure consistent and appropriate chlorination of rural water supplies, while OPTIC would test inline chlorination systems integrated directly into water delivery infrastructure.
Utsev said both technologies align with the National Framework for Drinking Water Safety and the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ – NIS 554:2015).
He added that the ministry would provide technical guidance throughout the project lifecycle and support the integration of the pilots into broader Water Safety Plan frameworks at state and community levels.
Utsev emphasised that sustainable improvements in water quality could only be achieved through strong partnerships.
“Our experience has shown that lasting progress in water safety is best achieved through collaboration among government, development partners, civil society and the private sector,” he said, expressing optimism that sustained stakeholder engagement would ensure shared ownership and long-term sustainability.
Also speaking, Mr. Dorgu Ebiye, Development Consultant and State Coordinator for Self Help Africa, said the chlorine dispenser component was designed to meet standard water treatment requirements.
Ebiye explained that the project targets a chlorine concentration of 1,100 grains per cent, using a standard formulation of 10 percent chlorine per ounce to ensure effective disinfection.
He said the dispenser pilot would be implemented in Garin Malam and Danbatta Local Government Areas of Kano State, with a total of 550 chlorine dispensers to be installed.
“The dispensers will be shared between the two LGAs, with each receiving about 275 units,” he said.
According to him, the project is expected to reach about 110,000 people by the end of the first phase, improving access to safer drinking water at the community level.
Ebiye added that the project adopts a self-sustaining operational model that provides professionalised maintenance services for both the chlorine dispensers and associated water facilities.
“Beyond infrastructure, we are working closely with the Ministry of Health, the Primary Health Care Development Agency and community health extension workers, who will be responsible for chlorine refilling, dosing, monitoring and reporting,” he said.
He said the project also prioritises capacity building through the training of local mechanics and community health workers, while collaborating with Rural Water Supply Agencies and relevant health institutions to support scalability and long-term sustainability.
NAN reports that the 18-month DiSuRWIN pilot has a budget of about $721,995, while the OPTIC project is being implemented in selected communities in Kano and Cross River states to test inline chlorination options for handpumps and piped water schemes.
