Policy horizon for sustainable urban water ...

ydroheyofWann Humid Regions (Proceedings of the Yokohama Symposium, July 1993). 'HSP0bl.no. 216, 1993.

423

Policy horizon for sustainable urban water management in Nigeria

L. OYEBANDE University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract Several agencies are involved in urban water management: from the local to the Federal Government. The state governments however have primary responsibility for urban water supply. At present policy objectives on urban water management are too general and sketchy to provide adequate guidance. Some changes which have taken place since 1985 have significantly shaped the policy horizon for urban water management. This paper attempts to crystallize a set of policy objectives which will enable Nigeria to attain sustainable water supply development for its fast growing urban population which will be about 46% of the total population by 2000. An appropriate approach to urban storm drainage is also recognized as a very important component of urban of water resources management for sustainable development.

INTRODUCTION The peculiarities of urban environments derive from the high concentration of human population and activities in complex interactions with the air, water and land over a finite space. These peculiarities induce changes in the water cycle in the pre-urban landscapes and make them vulnerable to pollution, flooding and drainage hazards. In Nigeria the explosive growth of 5.0% per year and over-concentration of people in a few centres have continued unchecked. It has been estimated that as much as one-third of the population in the urban centres of the third world live in slums or squatter settlements on the fringes of the towns and cities in appalling conditions of deprivation as exemplified by parts of Ibadan and Lagos among others. The principal factors often held responsible for the major changes in hydrological regime of urban areas are (Oyebande, 1992): (a) covering of parts of urban catchment with impervious surfaces, and compaction of the remaining non-paved surfaces; (b) increased hydraulic conveyance of both natural (stream) and artificial drainage networks; (c) intakes of surface water and groundwater in large quantities and their introduction into the networks of streams through utilization and consumption of the imported water; and (d) especially in developing countries, poor planning of land use for various functions. The operation of these factors underlines the claim that water resources management, especially in the urban environments, requires an integration with the whole of the urban system.

424

L. Oyebande

The proportion of impervious surfaces vary: it is about 60% in Tunis; 25-35% in most towns of the West African countries of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Cote d'Ivoire; 85% in Aba (Nigeria). The impervious surfaces combine with increased hydraulic conveyance and poor urban land-use planning to raise flood peaks artificially by 3 to 8 times their pre-urban levels. This combination of factors has been responsible for the catastrophic floods recorded in some African cities since 1980.

ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK The present organisational structure shows several agencies as urban water supply policy operators. These include the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development (WAWRRD) which is charged with the overall responsibility of policy objective formulation, data collection, monitoring and coordination of water resources development at the national level. Water supply is only one of the component of the whole system. At the Federal level, the River Basin Development Authorities also operate in their areas of jurisdiction as discussed later. At the state level we have the water boards or water corporations which perform their water supply role as state water supply agencies (SWA). The Federal government takes initiative by setting the standards for water resources assessment and by providing necessary guidance and security for internal and external loans and aids for states for purposes of water supply development. This is done through the National Council on Water Resources with the Minister in the MAWRRD as its Chairman and State Commissioners as members. The Council undertakes the work of coordination through a National Technical Committee which is advised by a number of specialised sub-committees. The latter include the subcommittee on Water Supply and Quality Control. The States (30 in number) nevertheless have primary responsibility for water supply. These functions are carried out by the State Water Boards or Corporations. The local governments within each state are being encouraged to take on increasing responsibility in the area of water supply. POLICY OBJECTIVES During the 1975-1980 plan period, the Federal government set itself the following policy objectives regarding urban water supply, but was silent on rural water supply: (a) To ensure that all communities of 20 000 or more people are provided with pipeborne water by 1980; (b) To provide 112 litres per head per day in all urban centres by that date. The struggle still continues, however, to accomplish these same objectives by 2000, and both costs of production and distribution of water as well as population figures continue to increase at run-away rates. Given the importance ascribed to water and its availability in adequate quantity and quality, one would expect that serious and sustained efforts would be made to provide the essential good. Unfortunately over the years, there has been a relative decline in government effort to provide water supplies. During 1955-1960 and the national development plan periods 1962-1968, 1970-1975 and 1975-1980, 1980-1985 and 1985-


425

1990, the capital expenditure on water represented, respectively, 7.7%, 4%, 5%, 2.8%, 1.5% and 1.1% of the total expenditure. Yet the latter periods were those when greater demands were generated for water by expanding population and rising living standards, increasing urbanization as well as significant expansions in other sectors of the national economy. The proportion allocated to water supply in comparable African economies ranged from 5 to 9% (Oyebande, 1978).

Regional approach to water resources management It is obvious however, that the above policy statements are far from being adequate for such a vital resource as water. The promulgation of a series of decrees establishing the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) and their functions provides us with some insight into the thinking of the government on water resources development. It has been realized to some degree that the river basin provides the rational unit and key to optimal regional and environmentally friendly management of water resources. Eleven RBDAs were established between 1973 and 1976 and in 1985 the government issued a directive on its new policy on the regional approach to water management. The new initiative removes aspects of agricultural production and restricts the functions of the RBDAs to the development of water resources infrastructures through construction of hydraulic structures and boreholes, for surface and groundwater development. They are also to undertake control of floods, erosion, watershed management activities, pollution control; responsibility related to national water code and control measures, master planning and establishment of water resources and related socio-environmental data base in their respective areas of jurisdiction. They will, of course, provide water from the multipurpose reservoirs under their control for urban water supply schemes at prescribed charges. The RBDAs are now being partially commercialized to make them more resultoriented and cost-effective. Water supply policy It is no doubt surprising that to-date Nigeria has no national water supply policy nor a comprehensive water code. The draft of the national water code which took over two decades to complete in the face of ever-changing circumstances is still "in the cooler". The nearest we have got to having a national water supply policy is the draft proposal submitted by the National Sub-Committee on Water Supply and Sanitation to the National Technical Committee on Water Resources (NTCWR, 1989) and is yet to be approved. The centre-piece of the proposed national water supply policy is the objective of providing potable water in sufficient quantity and quality to all by the year 2015, to be achieved in four phases: (a) covering of 50% of the population by 1995; (b) extension of supply to 80% of the population by the year 2005; (c) provision of potable water to all by 2015; and (d) improved level of supply from present level of 29 litres per capita per day to 120,

426

L. Oyebande

90, and 60 litres per capita per day to urban, semi-urban and rural areas respectively. Strategies mapped for attaining the above objective include: (e) rehabilitation and/or expansion of existing systems; (f) nationwide water resources availability survey (water resources assessment, WRA); (g) equitable distribution of available water resources (inter basin water transfer where feasible); (h) improved management - abstraction, treatment and pollution prevention/abatement; (i) accelerated manpower development using facilities in higher institutions; (j) promotion of local manufacture of water equipment, chemicals and other materials; (k) water supply agencies to operate at break-even basis; (1) funding of research, and development in the water sector to accomplish above objectives. Meanwhile, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA, 1989) in its own National Policy on the Environment has outlined some 13 strategies for attaining national water resources management. Most of these deal with aspects of water and environmental quality as may be expected, but also include an important aspect of promotion of efficient water use as well as impact assessment of water resources development projects.

PRESENT WATER SUPPLY SITUATION AND STRATEGIES FOR THE 1990s Existing water supply situation Table 1 depicts the level of water service in the urban areas of Nigeria. The urban centres that are supplied had on the average 62 litres per capita per day as at the middle of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD) in 1985. The level for rural areas that were served was 24 litres per capita per day. The level of urban service per capita was not much higher than it was in 1976, but the percentage of urban population served in 1985 was much higher (95%). We shall discuss five key strategies which can lead to significantly improved water supply conditions. These include areas of policy, manpower, funding and monitoring. Policy objectives As already indicated above, the Federal and state governments have at least in principle recognised the importance of water and the need to accord it top-most priority. What remains to be done is to accord it similar priority in deed. The local governments should be given some definite responsibility in the water supply sector and all the three tiers of government should work together and coordinate their efforts in the following areas: (a) Identifying the water needs of the people; (b) Harnessing local interests and commitment through the involvement of the local government authorities and communities at all stages of project planning, execution and operation; (c) Setting up and enforcing of national minimum standards and targets. For instance


427

Table 1 Summary of existing urban water supply in Nigeria. State Abuja** Anambra Bauchi Bendel Benue Borno Cross River Gongola Imo Kaduna Kano Kwara Lagos* Niger Ogun Ondo Oyo Plateau Rivers Sokoto Total 20

Population served (1985)

Total water supply (10 6 1 day 1 )

45 000 1 399 730 504 020 2 100 800 117 000 630 000 1 263 800 515 340 1 161 940 1 127 700 1 150 000 946 000 5 950 000 681 340 845 980 1 990 270 6 212 540 767 500 689 070 1 099 000

9.10 76.54 60.40 103.54 28.54 51.30 94.93 43.13 44.52 205.02 135.00 73.20 281.86 82.12 33.83 35.04 240.40 71.66 55.47 73.56

29 197 030

1799.16

Per capita average

Use (litres) minimum

107 55 107 49 244 81 84 84 38 182 117 77 47 120 40 18 39 93 81 67

(150) (21) (21) (17) (7) (28) (24) (22) (6) (28) (90) (7) (44) (84) (17) (9) (3) (5) (2) (6)

61.6

(Min) Minimum per capita use per day, actually median value of Minimum Water Use. * Federal capital (former). ** Federal capital (current). Source: Oyebande 1990.

it should be ensured that equipment and materials such as pipes, pumps, starters, chemical dosers and treatment chemicals are locally manufactured, and in any case, to specified standards; (d) Running of water supply agencies as autonomous and commercial enterprises - the disengagement may be phased in a gradual manner to make the burden more bearable. Manpower The existing manpower in the 30-state Water Systems Management Units of some 600 professionals and 2500 middle-level personnel is certainly inadequate. It is important to assess the manpower requirements properly and to set target numbers as well as deadlines for achieving such targets. Necessary action should then be taken to incorporate these in our educational planning and manpower development or training programmes. Specific directives and incentive may then be communicated to institutions of higher learning to orient their admission pattern and curricula to accomplish the targets. Funding The proposal made earlier that the Water Authorities which have attained adequate level of operation should seek to be financially self-sufficient is to be recommended for all state capitals. These capitals already enjoy the highest standards of service in the country. These and other urban centres could generate sufficient funds for their operation and maintenance. They should do this and aspire

428

L.

Oyebande

to finance some capital expansion and development. This status they should seek to attain by the year 1995. The other urban centres should attain the same status five years later. Planning, monitoring and design criteria There is need for an effective unit in the Ministry responsible for water management to monitor water supply activities and to stimulate interest in the generation of reliable data for analysis, water supply planning and plan updating. That unit should be empowered to abstract data from the appropriate data generating agencies. In order that investments in urban (and rural) water supply and sanitation may be made on a rational basis and not wasted, the Federal government needs to issue guidelines on certain design aspects. For instance, in the rural areas such guidelines are required as to the number of persons to be served by a hand pump; the need to evaluate both surface and groundwater when planning a rural water supply scheme. Specifications for materials and construction are also needed. Such may then be adapted to suit the specific conditions of each state by state coordinating committees. Stormwater management An appropriate approach to urban drainage is also a very important aspect of management of urban water resources for sustainable development. The objective of an urban drainage system is to remove excess water from an area to be protected. If appropriately designed, operated and maintained, it contributes to human welfare and proper functioning of urban communities. It is therefore important that new, less expensive solutions be found to urban drainage, which is grossly inadequate in most cities of developing countries. These new solutions should be based on an ecological approach with adequate environmental concern. They should be economically effective and affordable. Oyebande (1992) has discussed the application of some new concepts of urban storm design developed or popularized in the last 15 years to the African urban environment. He emphasized that urban hydrology, particularly urban storm drainage should be a principal factor of urban planning in Africa. Alternative drainage concepts can be most effectively incorporated in the design prior to urban development, while it is often difficult to inject such components into existing urban areas. CONCLUSION As indicated above, there is need for a staged programme of development based on the coordinated and integrated system of existing plans of the Water Corporations and Boards that will allow 75% of Nigerians to be served by 2000 and 100% by 2015 at per capita rates indicated. There must be corresponding plans for training the manpower required to plan, design, construct, operate and maintain the water systems. This means that the present numbers in the different categories of manpower have to be increased considerably. In view of the prospective population growth of some 3% per annum in the country, the problem is formidable. Past experience and the current economic downturn would indicate strongly that it will be very difficult to double water supply as population doubles every 25-30 years at the present rate. There is thus an urgent need for population control to peg the annual growth rate at a figure closer to 2%.


429

In order to achieve self-sufficiency in financing their projects, the state agencies should undertake viable schemes which should be able to attract loans from appropriate banks and the public investors. It was pointed out that in order to reduce the enormous cost of providing adequate water supply for all Nigerians in the next century, there is need to adopt appropriate technologies in the water industry. The work of UNICEF in rural water supply at low cost should be encouraged and extended to smaller urban areas.

REFERENCES FEPA (1989) National Policy on the Environment. Federal Environmental Protection Agency, Lagos. NTCWR (1990) Proposed National Water Supply Policy. National Technical Committee on Water Resources. Oyebande, L. (1978) Urban water supply planning and management in Nigeria. GeoJournal (Wiesbaden) 2(5), 403412. Oyebande, L. (1990) Water supply needs in the 1990s and strategies for satisfying them. Wat. Resour. J. 2(2), 1425. Oyebande, L. (1992) Some aspects of urban hydrology and the challenges for African urban environments. African Urban Quarterly & World Meteorological Organization, Special Issue, Geneva.