Sources, demand and problems of domestic water in Nassarawa Eggon Town, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between domestic water sources, demand and associated problems in the context of a rapidly increasing household population in Nassarawa Eggon town, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The data for this research were generated using a questionnaire survey of systematically selected households, and analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages, and are presented as tables and graphs. The study revealed that the major sources of water in the area are hand-dug wells and streams, with no pipe-borne water. This has greatly affected the inhabitants of the locality, resulting in cases of water-related diseases. Consequently, due to the recent inter-communal and ethnic crisis in some parts of the local government area and the state, which led to massive immigration of people into Nassarawa Eggon, pressure on the available sources of domestic water has intensified, resulting in insufficiency in meeting domestic water demand. Against this backdrop, the paper seeks to examine in detail the various sources of domestic water and the problems associated with accessing it.