Group Urges Federal Govt To Adopt Gender-Responsive Water Policies

As the world marks World Water Day (WWD) 2026, the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has called on the federal and state governments to adopt gender-responsive strategies to address Nigeria’s persistent water crisis.

The group said its recommendation aligns with this year’s theme, “Water and Gender,” with the campaign slogan, “Where water flows, equality grows,” stressing the urgent need to prioritise women and girls in water governance and policy formulation.

The global commemoration, led by UN Women and UNICEF, underscores the strong link between water access and gender equality, noting that inadequate water supply disproportionately affects women and girls.

In a statement issued in Lagos, RDI said the 2026 theme speaks directly to the realities faced by women and the girl child in Nigeria and across the Global South, particularly the physical and emotional strain associated with sourcing water.

Commenting, Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) project officer, Tracy Ohovwore, said the situation remains dire in many communities, both rural and urban, where access to potable water remains a daily struggle.

“The situation in most communities across Nigeria readily comes to mind. The daily drudgery that women and the girl child contend with due to the dry taps in their communities is real. Disturbingly, the situation we describe is not only in the rural communities; in cities like Lagos and Abuja, it is the same,” she said.

Ohovwore described the theme of this year’s commemoration as a wake-up call for governments at all levels to adopt deliberate and inclusive approaches to solving water challenges.

“That is why the theme of this year’s commemoration is a wake-up call to the government at all levels to be gender conscious in addressing the avoidable water challenges in the country,” she added.

She noted that women and girls bear the brunt of water scarcity, often travelling long distances under unsafe conditions to fetch water, a situation that in many cases affects education and economic productivity.

“In many cases, the girl child ends up not going to school to satisfy the home. Yet there’s another often-overlooked situation: when there’s no water, the physical hygiene of women also takes a hit, exposing them to disease and illness. So, the current systems are a lose-lose for women,” she stated.