Beyond Access: The Missing Link in Nigeria's Drinking Water Safety Why Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Matter More Than Ever in the Niger Delta

ABSTRACTOver the past two decades, significant investments have been made in improving access to water acrossNigeria through borehole development, community water schemes, and expanded water supplyinfrastructure. However, access alone does not guarantee safe drinking water. Water can becomecontaminated during collection, transportation, storage, and household handling, creating a critical gapbetween water access and water safety. National surveys indicate that only a small proportion ofNigerian households consistently treat drinking water before consumption. This challenge is particularlysignificant in the Niger Delta, where groundwater serves as a primary source of domestic water but isincreasingly exposed to environmental pressures including high iron concentrations, poor sanitationpractices, wastewater infiltration, crude oil pollution, artisanal refining activities, and urban developmentpressures. This paper examines the role of Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS) as acritical but often overlooked component of drinking water safety.