Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: May | Volume: 7 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 273-281
Service Indicators (Coverage/Access, Quantity, and Cost) of Safe Domestic Water Supply in Selected Communities of Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria and 2015 Water Related MDG: A Survey Study
Emmanuel I. Umegbolu
District Hospital Awgu, Enugu State, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Background: Domestic water supply is defined as water used for all domestic purposes. Globally, between 1990 and 2010, over 2 billion people gained access to improved sources of drinking water, whereas 783 million people did not. In Nigeria, in 2013, about 59.6% of the population gained access to safe drinking water, and in Enugu State, 47.5%.
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the indicators of safe domestic water supply in five rural communities of Enugu State, which might help to explain why Nigeria could not achieve the MDG target of provision of safe drinking water for 75% of the population in 2015.
Materials and Methods: Structured questionnaire were administered to 297 households in the study area. Data were analysed as frequency distributions, t-test and Pearson product moment correlations using MaxStat (version3.60) statistical software.
Results: Mean access to domestic water supplies was 15.38 minutes, mean cost =1172 Naira, mean daily per capita water use = 22.06 liters. Between access and daily per capita water use, r= -0.59 (p=0.29), between access and cost, r= 0.77 (p=0.13), between cost and per capita daily water use, r= -0.99 (p=0.11).
Conclusion: Poor service indicators of domestic water supplies in Enugu State might have contributed to Nigeria’s inability to attain in 2015 the drinking water related MDG target. Nigeria needs to pursue with vigor the targets of her ‘vision 2020’, to adequately provide affordable safe domestic water for the people by 2020.
Key words: Domestic, Supply, Access, Per capita, Service, Indicator