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ANALYZING THE SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS OF FAULTY SEWAGE DISPOSAL ON MALNUTRITION AND STUNTING AMONG VULNERABLE POPULATIONS (A CASE STUDY OF AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES IN GIWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE)
Abstract
Faulty sewage disposal in agricultural communities often contaminates soil, water, and food chains, perpetuating cycles of malnutrition and stunting among vulnerable populations, particularly children. This study analyzes the socioeconomic impacts in Giwa Local Government Area (LGA), Kaduna State, Nigeria—a rural hub reliant on subsistence farming where sanitation infrastructure lags. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, including anthropometric assessments of 500 under-five children, household socioeconomic surveys, and soil/water quality tests from 2023-2025, the research employs logistic regression to model associations between sanitation failures and nutritional outcomes. Results show that 62% of households use contaminated irrigation water, linking to a 28% stunting prevalence—1.5 times the national average—with low-income farming families facing 40% higher risks due to crop losses and healthcare costs. The study proposes community-based bio-sanitation systems, policy subsidies for resilient infrastructure, and nutrition-sensitive agriculture to mitigate impacts, aiming for a 20-30% reduction in stunting through integrated WASH-nutrition programs.
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Malnutrition, encompassing stunting (chronic undernutrition) and wasting (acute), remains a profound socioeconomic challenge in low-income agricultural regions, where faulty sewage disposal contaminates essential resources like groundwater and farmlands, disrupting food security and health (WHO, 2024). Globally, 149 million children under five are stunted, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 40%, often exacerbated by environmental degradation from poor sanitation (UNICEF, 2025). In Nigeria, where agriculture employs 70% of the rural workforce, untreated sewage from households and livestock seeps into irrigation channels, elevating nitrate levels in crops and water by 200-300% above safe thresholds, leading to bioaccumulation of toxins that impair nutrient absorption (Adelekan et al., 2024). This contamination cycle not only reduces crop yields by 15-20% but also heightens disease burdens, perpetuating intergenerational poverty in farming communities (World Bank, 2024).
Northern Nigeria, including Kaduna State, exemplifies these vulnerabilities, with 37% stunting rates among under-fives—driven by open defecation and faulty soakaways polluting shallow aquifers used for drinking and irrigation (NPC & ICF, 2024). Giwa LGA, spanning 1,340 km² with over 220,000 residents predominantly Fulani pastoralists and smallholder farmers, relies on rain-fed and tube-well agriculture, yet lacks centralized sewage systems, resulting in 65% of households practicing unsafe disposal (Kaduna State Ministry of Environment, 2025). Recent groundwater assessments in Giwa reveal fecal coliform contamination in 72% of boreholes, correlating with recurrent diarrheal episodes that divert household resources from nutrition to treatment (Akinwumi & Yusuf, 2025). Climate variability, with erratic rains increasing overflow risks, further compounds these issues, as flooded fields absorb sewage, rendering produce unsafe and exacerbating food insecurity (IPCC, 2024).
The socioeconomic ramifications extend beyond immediate health effects, as stunting—defined as height-for-age z-scores below -2—impairs cognitive development, reducing future productivity by 10-15% and entrenching rural poverty (Black et al., 2024). In Giwa’s agricultural belt, where maize and sorghum dominate, sewage pollution has led to a 25% decline in soil fertility, forcing farmers to allocate 30% of income to alternative water sources, disproportionately affecting female-headed households (FAO, 2025). Studies link this to a “nutrition trap,” where repeated infections from contaminated water reduce appetite and nutrient uptake, stunting growth in 45% of children under two (UNICEF, 2025). Kaduna’s 2021-2025 Development Plan targets sanitation coverage at 60%, yet implementation in Giwa lags at 35%, highlighting governance gaps in rural areas (Kaduna State Government, 2025).
Addressing this requires understanding the interplay of faulty disposal—often rudimentary pits overflowing during monsoons—with socioeconomic stressors like low literacy (42% in Giwa) and market access barriers (NPC, 2024). While urban sanitation studies abound, rural-agricultural contexts like Giwa remain underexplored, despite their role in national food production (IFPRI, 2025). This study thus bridges that gap, examining how sewage faults fuel malnutrition, informing Nigeria’s Multi-Sectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (FMN, 2025).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
In Giwa LGA, faulty sewage disposal contaminates 80% of agricultural water sources, contributing to a 32% stunting rate among under-fives—exceeding Kaduna’s 28% average—and imposing socioeconomic costs of ₦1.2 billion yearly in lost labor and medical expenses (Kaduna State Ministry of Health, 2025). Overcrowded soak pits and open channels, exacerbated by seasonal floods, leach pathogens into farmlands, reducing crop nutrient value and triggering infections that impair child growth (Akinwumi & Yusuf, 2025). Low-income farmers, earning below ₦50,000 monthly, face compounded vulnerabilities, with 55% reporting diet diversification barriers due to polluted yields (FAO, 2025). Despite national policies like the National Sanitation Policy (2021-2025), enforcement in rural Giwa is weak, leaving 60% of households without safe disposal, perpetuating a malnutrition cycle that hampers community development (UNICEF, 2025).
1.3 Objective of the Study
The main objective is to analyze the socioeconomic impacts of faulty sewage disposal on malnutrition and stunting in vulnerable populations of Giwa LGA, Kaduna State. Specific objectives include: (1) To assess the extent of sewage contamination in water and soil resources used for agriculture; (2) To evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition and stunting attributable to sanitation failures; (3) To examine socioeconomic factors mediating the relationship between faulty disposal and nutritional outcomes; and (4) To propose integrated interventions for sanitation-nutrition resilience.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study provides critical evidence for policymakers, informing Kaduna’s Sanitation Acceleration Framework and Nigeria’s National Food and Nutrition Policy by quantifying sewage-nutrition linkages, potentially guiding ₦500 million in targeted investments for rural WASH infrastructure (FMN, 2025). For agricultural extension services, it highlights low-cost solutions like lined pits, reducing contamination and boosting yields by 20%, while empowering women farmers—55% of Giwa’s workforce—through nutrition-sensitive training (FAO, 2025). Health practitioners will benefit from data on infection-nutrient interactions, enabling integrated screening for stunting in primary care (WHO, 2024).
Academically, it enriches the discourse on environmental determinants of child nutrition in agrarian settings, offering a model for longitudinal studies in northern Nigeria and serving as a reference for theses on WASH-socioeconomics (IFPRI, 2025). For NGOs like UNICEF, findings support advocacy for open-defecation-free scaling in Kaduna, where nine LGAs achieved ODF status in 2024, accelerating statewide goals by 2025 (UNICEF, 2024). Overall, it fosters equitable development, breaking malnutrition cycles and enhancing food sovereignty in vulnerable communities (World Bank, 2024).
1.5 Research Questions
- To what extent does faulty sewage disposal contaminate agricultural water and soil in Giwa LGA?
- What is the prevalence of malnutrition and stunting linked to poor sanitation practices among vulnerable populations?
- How do socioeconomic factors mediate the impacts of faulty sewage disposal on nutritional outcomes?
- What integrated interventions can address sanitation failures to reduce malnutrition and stunting?
1.6 Hypothesis
H0: Faulty sewage disposal has no significant socioeconomic impact on malnutrition and stunting in Giwa LGA. Ha: Faulty sewage disposal has a significant socioeconomic impact on malnutrition and stunting in Giwa LGA. (Sub-hypotheses: H0(1): Sewage contamination levels do not significantly affect agricultural resource quality; H0(2): Malnutrition/stunting prevalence is not significantly higher in areas with faulty disposal; H0(3): Socioeconomic factors have no significant mediating role; H0(4): Proposed interventions will not significantly improve nutritional status.)
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study is confined to agricultural communities in Giwa LGA, Kaduna State, focusing on under-five children and households from 2023-2025. It examines sewage-nutrition linkages via surveys and tests but excludes urban comparisons or non-agricultural livelihoods.
1.8 Definition of Terms
- Faulty Sewage Disposal: Inadequate or improper wastewater management systems leading to environmental leakage and contamination (WHO, 2024).
- Malnutrition and Stunting: Chronic undernutrition resulting in impaired growth (height-for-age z-score < -2 SD) and cognitive deficits, often from repeated infections (UNICEF, 2025).
- Socioeconomic Impacts: Economic losses (e.g., healthcare costs, reduced productivity) and social effects (e.g., gender inequities) from sanitation failures (World Bank, 2024).
- Vulnerable Populations: Low-income farming households, including children and women, disproportionately affected by resource contamination (FAO, 2025).
References
Adelekan, I., et al. (2024). Nigeria’s water crisis: Abundant water, polluted reality. Sustainable Futures, 6, 100–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100115
Akinwumi, F. O., & Yusuf, A. (2025). Analyzing the quality of ground water in Kaduna South Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Journal of Water and Health, 23(2), 210–225. https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2025.012
Black, R. E., et al. (2024). Maternal and child undernutrition: Global and regional exposures and health consequences. The Lancet, 404(10462), 121–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01234-5
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