The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it is supplying more than 30,000 litres of water every day to victims of the recent Yelwata attack, who are currently taking refuge at the International Market camp in Makurdi, Benue State.
Speaking at the camp on Monday, UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist at the Enugu Field Office, Rebecca Bolatito-Gabriel, said the emergency water provision ensures each displaced person has access to at least 15 litres of water daily.
According to her, UNICEF has installed two water bladders—each capable of holding 10,000 litres—and restored several abandoned boreholes at the site to help meet this need.
“We are providing over 30,000 litres of water daily to the IDPs in the camp. We have over 3,400 IDPs in this camp so far, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) database,” she said.
Bolatito-Gabriel explained that the goal is not only to provide clean water, but to make sanitation facilities within the camp functional and safe. She noted that although the camp has 36 water cistern toilets, they had previously been unusable due to lack of water and unfamiliarity with the facility among the displaced population.
“We discovered that there were sanitation facilities like toilets, which are not accessible and cannot be maintained without water. It is not also the kind of toilet they are used to where they are coming from. So, to make the facilities useful, hygienic and safe, water must be provided,” she added.
To support the efforts, UNICEF has also engaged 50 hygiene promoters, including camp residents, to help maintain a cleaner and healthier environment.
Also speaking at the camp, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo, UNICEF’s Health Specialist in the Enugu Field Office, said over 900 people had so far received medical attention at the camp, including four women who delivered their babies.
She said UNICEF is currently offering a full package of primary healthcare services, including antenatal care, to help meet the needs of the displaced population.