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Purpose -After almost 60 years of water supply development in Nigeria, it is unfortunate that as many as 43 per cent of the population still lack access to safe water. The situation is worse in the rural areas. There is, therefore, the need to better understand the constraints and challenges of water supply, especially in the rural areas of the country. With this regard this study seeks to assess the extent to which stakeholders are willing and able to adopt and implement sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly management options for water resources in selected rural areas of Oyo State, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach -The study areas include three rural/semi-urban Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Oyo state. The three LGAs are Ibarapa, Afijio, and Lagelu. The choice of the three study areas is justified on the grounds that the areas are different in terms of potable water supply problems and management. The study adopted a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology, including Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews (IDIs) with stakeholders as well as a structured and semi-structured questionnaires survey. Findings -The outcome of the study reveals that the knowledge base of the different stakeholder groups about the technological, socio-economic and ecological dimensions of water resources management is very low. For some communities, however, the indigenous knowledge in the conservation of traditional water sources (e.g. streams and rivers) exists but needs to be improved. Originality/value -The results formed a database on the ideas and experience of local initiatives which could be adapted to solve water supply problems in similar rural communities in Nigeria and elsewhere in the African continent.

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