UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has attributed the Boko Haram terrorism in Northeast Nigeria largely to the drying up of the once thriving Lake Chad, which provided millions with livelihood.
Mohammed stated this in Stockholm in her remarks to the opening plenary of 2018 World Water Week with theme: ‘Water, Ecosystems and Human Development, at the Heart of the Global Agendas’.
According to her, she saw first-hand the disastrous human consequences of badly-managed water resources and ecosystems, noting the importance of protecting the environment and conserving resources for sustainable development.
She regretted that more than 340,000 children under five years die every year from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, or unsafe drinking water – almost 1000 children per day.
The UN deputy chief added that 40 per cent of people around the world were affected by water scarcity, while some 844 million people lacked basic water services and over two billion people were forced to drink unsafe water.
Mohammed lamented that women and girls suffered disproportionately when water and sanitation were lacking adding, their health is affected, and they may be unable to work or to attend school when they are menstruating.