Abstract. Access to potable water supply, sanitation and hygiene education remains relatively low both in the urban and rural areas in developing countries. The main aim of the study was to get an overview of the condition of the water and sanitary facilities in schools and of hygiene education. The method of investigation involved systematic random sampling with the use of questionnaires and interviews with the students and teachers and onsite inspection of the sanitation facilities available within the schools. The results revealed that 24% of schools used W/C while 76% of schools used pit toilets, of which 88% were ordinary pit toilets and 12% VIP. The number of toilets within the schools ranged between 0 and 14 revealing a 185:1 student to toilet ratio within the study area, but ranged widely from 83:1 to 510:1 between schools. The study, however, revealed the absence of wash hand basins in 77% of the schools and no soap in 88% of the schools with wash hand basins. Investing in clean water, sanitation and hygiene education in these public schools should become a priority for governments in developing countries and School Sanitation and Hygiene Education program (SSHE) should be adopted and implemented across schools in Nigeria.

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Flooding, a common environmental hazard worldwide has, in recent times, increased as a result of climate change, with the effect felt more by the poor in developing countries. In Nigeria, as in most developing countries, flooding has been linked to natural causes, urbanisation and poor management practices. It has resulted to loss of lives, income, property damage and spread of diseases. The recurrent incidences of flooding and associated risks in cities of developing countries have necessitated a review of the approaches to flood risk management in Nigeria. This paper takes a look at the incidence of flooding in Ibadan, a major city in Nigeria. It examines its causes, effects and the effectiveness of the flood management options. The study found that even with daunting challenges of financial constraints, mismanagement, lack of continuity in governance and policy, and small-scale flood management remedies, such as proper waste management, dredging, clearing of channels and bridge throughway, have proven effective in the management of flood risks. The study recommends an intensification of non-structural strategies of flood management.

Groundwater is the main source of water for domestic use in Nigeria because it is perceived to be clean. The presence of geogenic contaminants (arsenic and fluoride), and the level of awareness of their presence in groundwater in Ibadan, Nigeria was examined in this study. A total of one hundred and twenty groundwater samples were collected from hand dug wells which tap into shallow aquifers and their location taken with the aid of a GPS. The concentration of arsenic was determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) while concentration of fluoride was determined by single beam spectrophotometer. Three hundred and fifty semi structured questionnaires were also administered within the study area to determine the level of awareness of contamination problem. Simple summary statistics including mean (m) standard deviation (s) and minimum-maximum values of the hydro-chemical data was used in the data analyses, while spatial concentrations were mapped using ArcGIS. The results showed arsenic concentration exceeding the WHO (2011) recommended concentration for drinking water in 98% and 100% of the dry and wet season samples. Concentration of Fluoride exceeded the recommended limits in 13% and 100% of the dry and wet season samples. Questionnaire analyses revealed that 85% of respondents have never tested their wells, 55% have no knowledge of geogenic contamination, while 92% never heard of arsenic or fluoride (52%). The study recommends enlightenment on geogenic contamination and testing of wells for remediation purposes.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the presence of geogenic contaminants in groundwater from shallow aquifers of the crystalline basement complex rocks of Ibadan south-western, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 30 drinking water samples, (six samples each from the five major lithologic formations of the study area) were collected from hand dug wells during the rainy season. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to determine concentrations of arsenic, iron and fluoride in drinking water samples and also concentrations of other chemical parameters that could affect the concentrations of the geogenic contaminants including pH, Ca, Mg, Na and SO42−. Descriptive statistics, multiple correlation and analysis of variance were used to examine the relationship between the geogenic contaminants and concentration of other chemical parameters while inverse distance weighting was used to produce risk maps. Findings – The results showed Arsenic concentration exceeding the WHO recommended concentration for drinking water in all the samples within the area. Samples from 16.6 per cent of the wells exceeded the recommended limit for fluoride while iron was present in most of the samples within acceptable limits. The study also revealed no significant difference in concentration of contaminants between the geologic formations. Originality/value – Geogenic contamination has been scarcely studied in Nigeria. This research, therefore, is a paradigm shift in the study of groundwater contamination which had been mainly focused on anthropogenic contaminants. The outcome of this research will engender policy makers and researchers to pay more attention to geogenic contamination than anthropogenic contaminants in Nigeria.