MAIDUGURI: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Maiduguri (the capital of Borno State in northeast Nigeria) is grossly deficient, as in most cities in sub-Saharan Africa: most people do not have access to a hygienic toilet; large amounts of faecal waste are discharged to the environment without adequate treatment; this is likely to have major impacts on infectious disease burden and quality of life (Hutton et al. 2007). This article briefly summarizes the current sanitation situation in Maiduguri.
This page is part of the fully editable open-access reference source on the sanitation status of all major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The resource considers the 40 urban agglomerations in sub-Saharan Africa with a current population of 1 million or more. To read some of the other 40 country profiles, go back tothe resource Homepage.
N.B These pages should be considered as incomplete provisional drafts, and contributions are actively requested from specialists with expert local knowledge of each specific city
Table of Contents
- Background information
- Water resources and supply: overview
- Sanitation access
- Sewerage system
- Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
- Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
- Sanitation in low-income districts
- Responsibility
- Sanitation masterplan?
- Sanitation financing
- Major investments and donor interventions
- Sources and further reading
- References
- Other City Profiles
Background information
Maiduguri is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 1.1 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is a flat inland at about 300 m above sea level, located on the Ngadda River. Climate is tropical wet and dry (Köppen classification Aw). We have information on flooding within the metropolitan area. There is some industrial activity including food processing (Okofor 2003). We have no information on urban agricultural activity. It is likely that a large proportion of the population lives in low-income settlements, but we have no information on this. The city is mainly Muslim but has a significant Christian minority, and in recent years has suffered severe sectarian violence.
Water resources and supply: overview
Water is obtained from boreholes and from the Alau Reservoir fed by the Ngadda and Yederam Rivers (which drain to Lake Chad, about 100 km to the northeast) (CBDA 2009). Northern Nigeria is considered to be under significant risk of increasing water resource scarcity (UNEP/GRID-Arendal 2002, Okofor 2003). We have no information on water supply and distribution within the city.
Sanitation access
We have no information on sanitation access in Maiduguri. If similar to Kano, sanitation solutions in low-income settlements are likely to include poor-quality pit latrines, and possibly bucket latrines. USAID (2009) notes that “Lack of accurate date makes it impossible to determine whether Nigeria is making progress to meet its MDG targets in the WSS sector”.
Sewerage system
As far as we are aware, Maiduguri has no sewerage system (except perhaps for very small systems serving institutions and private estates).
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
No information: as far as we are aware, Maiduguri has no formal systems for septage management.
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
As far as we are aware, Maiduguri has no major wastewater treatment facilities.
Sanitation in low-income districts
No information available. We are not aware of any detailed mapping of high-sanitation-need districts, or of any specific policy for sanitation improvement in informal settlements.
Responsibility
Federal and state responsibilities are summarized in USAID (2009). We have no detailed information on responsibilities within the Maiduguri. Okofor (2003) states that responsibility for public toilets and nightsoil disposal lies with the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, though we do not know whether this translates to any practical involvement in sanitation.
Sanitation masterplan?
As far as we know, Maiduguri has no sanitation masterplan, or broader masterplan covering sanitation.
Sanitation financing
No information available.
Major investments and donor interventions
We are not aware of any major donor interventions in Maiduguri.
Sources and further reading
None known.
References
Akpodiogaga P & Odjugo O (2010) General overview of climate change impacts in Nigeria. J Hum Ecol 29(1):47-55. http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/Climate%20change_4.pdf
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
Okofor SO (2003) Government policy and environmental waste management in Maiduguri Urban Area, Nigeria. IN: Darkoh MBK & Rwomire A (eds.) Human Impact on Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa. Ashgate Publishing, UK. http://books.google.com/books?id=HWpCoRyX8XIC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA429#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Hutton G, Haller L & Bartram J (2007) Economic and health effects of increasing coverage of low cost household drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to countries off-track to meet MDG target 10. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. http://www.irc.nl/page/38443
UNEP/GRID-Arendal (2002) Water availability in Africa. UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/water_availability_in_africa.
USAID (2009) Nigeria: Water and Sanitation Profile. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADO937.pdf
Other City Profiles
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12) DAR ES SALAAM (Tanzania) 3
14) DURBAN THEKWINI (South Africa) 3
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