Living through a pandemic when your access to water is difficult.
For The Washington Post.
Access to clean water is dramatically uneven across the world. About a third of Nigeria’s population — 60 million people — must leave home to find it.
By
Yagazie Emezi and
Danielle Paquette
LAGOS, Nigeria — The most basic ingredient for mankind’s survival is also a critical weapon against the novel coronavirus. Wash your hands with soap and water for 30 seconds, scientists say. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Stay hydrated and hygienic.
But access to clean water is dramatically uneven across the world. About a third of Nigeria’s population — 60 million people — must leave home to find it, according to aid groups and government statistics.
In this pandemic, venturing out to the nearest pump has meant risking exposure to the virus or a clash with police. Officers and soldiers enforcing lockdowns killed 18 Nigerians over a two-week period this spring, the country’s independent National Human Rights Commission reported in April.
As of Wednesday, 200 people had died of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, but doctors worry that the true number could be much higher. Some areas, such as Kano state, have recorded far more deaths than usual.
Africa’s most populous country eased restrictions earlier this month, allowing citizens to go outside with masks — a move to revive the sputtering economy, the president said. Some vow to stay indoors because cases are spiking. (Nigeria’s count this week surpassed 6,600.)
Others don’t have that choice.
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