The Authorities of Guinea-Bissau should urgently prioritise water and sanitation providers if it needs to enhance the lives of its inhabitants, significantly girls and youngsters, a UN professional mentioned right this moment.
The UN Particular Rapporteur on the human rights to protected ingesting water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, made the attraction in a statement on the conclusion of his 10-day official go to to Guinea-Bissau.
“Official statistics point out that solely 24% of the inhabitants has entry to securely managed ingesting water providers. Throughout my go to, I used to be in a position to put faces to this quantity and listen to life experiences behind them. Lack of entry to protected ingesting water disproportionately impacts the lives and well being of girls and youngsters who’re often in command of fetching the water,” Arrojo-Agudo mentioned.
“I met with girls and women who began queuing at 5 a.m. for water. Within the dry season, they stroll a number of kilometres to succeed in distant wells,” the professional mentioned.
Guaranteeing protected water and sanitation for everybody with no discrimination have to be a high precedence. “Being a least developed nation doesn’t justify the failure to make protected ingesting water a precedence, particularly when girls in probably the most weak conditions, regardless of their hardships, constantly make water a precedence,” the Particular Rapporteur mentioned.
Along with the good effort related to fetching water, the water itself is usually unsafe, missing correct chlorination and disinfection, the professional mentioned. Arrojo-Agudo additionally expressed alarm over the non-access to protected ingesting water and sanitation amenities in faculties, well being centres, hospitals and detention centres.
“All through the nation, I heard testimonies about spreading malaria, particularly within the wet season, and frequent diarrhoea affecting youngsters as a consequence of insufficient sanitation and unsafe ingesting water,” he added.
“I urge the federal government to conduct a public consciousness marketing campaign on the significance of chlorination and even present the product freed from cost,” he mentioned.
The professional insisted that the event of sanitation and waste assortment programs was important to deal with points associated to water air pollution.
Guinea-Bissau should shield its aquifers, that are in danger as a consequence of poor sanitation, the professional warned.
“Guinea-Bissau has a treasure in its aquifers and may make constant efforts to protect them, significantly in mild of the rising dangers posed by local weather change,” he mentioned. “Finding out and mapping aquifers would additionally assist to guard them and optimise their use.”
“Given Guinea-Bissau’s dependence on overseas assist, now liable to reducing, prioritising nationwide funding for ingesting water and sanitation is extra essential than ever,” the professional mentioned.
The nation’s well-framed water code, established establishments, and consultants supported by worldwide cooperation had been heartening, he mentioned. “Updating the water code may assist prioritise weak populations’ wants and deal with local weather change extra successfully.”
Arrojo-Agudo mentioned the absence of native municipal establishments for ingesting water and sanitation was a significant problem. Commending group administration in Bafatá, he urged the federal government to help comparable programmes.
Guinea-Bissau made progress on transboundary agreements for sustainable basin and Atlantic aquifer administration, the Particular Rapporteur mentioned. “The nation should proceed these efforts to keep away from issues just like the Bidigor River drying up as a consequence of an upstream dam or the alleged poisonous air pollution of the Corubal River by mining—points I witnessed in Pirada and Tchethé.”
Local weather change is extending the dry season to just about 9 months. “In city areas like Bafatá, Tchethé, Bilonco, and Pirada, aquifer water is declining. In Pirada, residents voiced considerations about desert encroachment from the Sahel,” he mentioned.
With 80% of the inhabitants in coastal areas, addressing aquifer salinisation from rising sea ranges is pressing. “An excessive case I witnessed is that of the island communities of Djobel who lack water and urgently want dignified resettlement.”
Arrojo-Agudo will current a report on this go to to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2025.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Workplace of the UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
