1.

0 DEPARTMENT OF WATER QUALITY CONTROL AND SANITATION DEPARTMENT

The Department of Water Quality Control and Sanitation is one of the Technical Departments of the
Ministry. It is charged with the responsibilities of managing the nation’s water quality and
promotion of water sanitation and hygiene. The mandate of the Department within the overall
mandate of the Ministry is to formulate policies and guidelines, and overall management of matters
affecting Water Quality Control, and Water Sanitation and hygiene promotion. The Ministry in order
to have a properly organized water quality management and effective promotion of Sanitation and
Hygiene in Nigeria assigned the following functions to the department:

THE MANDATE AND ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT

i) To provide a national organization which will increase knowledge of Water

Quality and Sanitation, establish standards, review technology and encourage
advances in water quality laboratory, operation and maintenance of
wastewater treatment plants and their associated discharges by collecting
and disseminating relevant information and addressing related technical
questions;
ii) To supervise and monitor all the completed and on-going National Water
Quality Reference Laboratories across Nigeria and institutionalize water
quality analysis and procedures;
iii) Carry out water quality surveillance and ensure safety of drinking water
supplies through the enforcement of the Nigerian Standard for Drinking
Water Quality (NSDWQ) NIS: 554 (2015) in collaboration with the Standards
Organization of Nigeria (SON)
iv) River and stream studies and modeling to determine contamination loads and
stratification levels in different periods of the year and prevent
eutrophication.
v) Transboundary water quality monitoring and maintain collaboration with
Niger Basin Authority (NBA) and Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) on
water quality control monitoring network for the River Niger system and Lake
Chad basin.
vi) Institute Quality Assurance and Integrity Management in water quality control
laboratories through the adoption of peer review mechanism on UNEP/GEMs,
SON and IPAN standards.
vii) Watershed management to identify point source and non-point source
pollution and developing remedial and control measures to safeguard water
sources
viii) Formulation and implementation of appropriate guidelines, policies and
programmme of planning, development and maintenance of water quality
 control networks undertaken by RBRDAs, Water Boards and private agencies
throughout the country;
ix) Safeguard and support public health through organized drinking water quality
surveillance and water safety plans
x) Maintain an support the National Task Group on Sanitation and promote the
implementation of Community Led Total Sanitation in Nigeria
xi) Support National Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion through advocacy and
capacity building of the State Agencies.
xii) Drive the National Sanitation Promotion and Advocacy including the
Global/National Handwashing Campaigns.
xiii) Develop a National Water Sanitation Policy
xiv) Promoting the in-house capability of States and Local Government Councils
through Advocacy and enlightenment in sanitation, improved hygiene, water
safety plan and sanitation at village/community level;
xv) Develop a National Policy for urban sanitation and wastewater management
and reuse.
xvi) Promote, undertake the planning, design and supervision of the construction
of urban sanitation and wastewater treatment plants in partnership with the
States, Local Government Councils and the Private Sector.
xvii) Carry out WASH intervention on Disaster Risk Reduction measures in
emergencies, floods, conflict zones and IDPs through control of water
diseases;
xviii) Preparation of National WASH Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP) and
interventions
xix) Institutionalize WASH Tracking and Surveillance, data management, publish
reports, promotion posters, hand bills on water and sanitation and hygiene,
water quality atlases, maps, etc.
xx) Enhance international cooperation with partners in scaling up water
sanitation and hygiene issues and implement National commitments to
international development policy framework
xxi) Develop robust computer based systems/ICT and reporting of national
developments and progress in water sanitation and hygiene to the
international community.
xxii) Capacity building in water quality and sanitation and safety management,
participation at seminars, workshops and conferences in such related matters
xxiii) To carry out studies and provide technical manuals and guidelines on topical
water resources subjects as:- water safety plans, performance monitoring,
water quality modeling, environmental impact assessment and public
information dissemination.
2.0 GUIDING POLICY, STRATEGY FOR WATER QUALITY CONTROL AND SANITATION
DEPARTMENT.
i. Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality NIS:554 2015 (Revised).
ii. Draft National Water Quality Management Strategy
iii. National Water Sanitation Policy and Implementation Guideline 2004.
iv. National Water Resources Policy & Strategy, 2016.
v. Strategy for Scaling-up Rural Sanitation 2007.
vi. National Plan on Cholera Preparedness, Prevention and Response.
vii. WASH Communication Strategy
viii. Road Map to end Open Defecation 2025

3.0 PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES

Programmes/Activities being implemented to achieve the above Targets/Commitments include:

A. WATER QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAMME

i. Water Quality Monitoring Network Program In The River Niger Basin (Conventional
Monitoring)
ii. Joint Water Quality Monitoring of transboundary water with the NBA and LCBC
iii. Special Water Quality Issues

B. WATER QUALITY SURVEILLANCE PROGAMME

i. Community Based Water Quality Surveillance: Household Water Treatment and Safe
Storage Programme
ii. Water Safety Plan
iii. Enforcement of the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality

C. RURAL SANITATION AND HYGIENE PROGRAMME

i. National task Group on Sanitation(NTGS)
ii. Community Led Total Sanitation Programme
iii. Global Sanitation Fund Grant
iv. Annual WASH review of FGN/UNICEF Meeting
v. Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria Project (SHAWN)
vi. Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)
vii. Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA)

D. URBAN SANITATION TECHNOLOGY

i. Develop Policy on Waste Water Management
ii. Designing, Promotion and Construction of Appropriate Sanitation and Hygiene
Facilities
iii. Sanitation Safety Plan

E. WASH Tracking and Documentation Programme

i. WASH Sector Tracking
ii. WASH M & E and Analysis
iii. Management of WASH Information Management System (WASHIMS)
iv. Liaise with PRS on NAWIS (National Water Information System)
 v. WASH Sector Documentation
vi. Global Assesment and Analysis of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) Reporting
vii. African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW) Reporting
viii. Departmental Annual Report, Mid-Year Reports

F. WASH Response and Collaboration Programme

i. WASH Emergency Response Plan/ Sector Coordination
ii. Disaster Risk Response and Inter Sector Collaboration
iii. Relationship with Development Partners