The complex nature of household water supply: an evidence-based assessment of urban water access in Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Access to domestic water supply is a big challenge to many households in developing countries, as a large number of households do not have access to municipal water sources. The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of access and characteristics of water sources and their impact on the choice and usage of water by providing empirical and statistical evidence. A survey of 1,300 households was conducted across six major cities in Southwest Nigeria, using structured questionnaires, field surveys, personal interviews, and observations. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS 27 for descriptive statistics and characterised using enhancement-based strategies. The result showed that access to pipe water was 5%, 66% used private wells and boreholes, and 29% used off-site water sources. The study discovered that 15 different water sources with unique attributes were consumed. The daily consumption ranged between 301 and 361 and 1,153 and 1,421 litres per household (L/hh/d) for those using off-site and on-site water sources, respectively. This study provides new insights with empirical evidence. As such, there is a need to re-evaluate the present water supply policy implementation, funding approach, and level of coverage. Additional policies that support and fund decentralised water projects, without compromising on water quality, should be provided, since they are more accessible to the people.

Integrated Water Management in Mountain Communities: The Case of Feutap in the Municipality of Bangangté, Cameroon

“…The Kilimanjaro Concept (KC) has been recently presented for integrated water resources management in hilly regions [8,9]. On the other hand, the use of cisterns to warrant water supply in mountain communities is a very old decentralized solution [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. This communication is about integrated water management in mountain communities, including safe drinking water supply.…”

“…There is a widespread perception that the public health responsibility of a municipality is merely accomplished by the installation of adequate watering points in a community [15,16]. In recent years, the municipality of Bangangté has celebrated many such installations in the forms of protected springs and tube wells [17][18][19].…”

Assessment of drinking water access and household water insecurity: A cross sectional study in three rural communities of the Menoua division, West Cameroon

“…This disparity in drinking water access can also be explained by challenges such as increasing population and urbanization, poor water network coverage, high pressure on the demand for water, and poverty and the inability to pay for a connection and water service. As a result, private water sources are installed in households who can afford them whereas poorer households rely on multiple alternative sources or depend on neighbors for free water [2,5].…”