Assessment of Household Water Security in Makurdi Town, Benue State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ijsrd.v3i1.7610Keywords:
Household Resilience, Makurdi, Spatial Variation, Water security, Water Security IndexAbstract
Makurdi town is contending with many water related issues that impede efforts targeted at achieving water security for the growing population. Water security is a multidimensional concept that seeks to address the array of issues related to water. Previous studies in Nigeria and Makurdi in particular, employ a methodology for water security assessment that merely accounts for water access or water scarcity, thereby limiting the scope of the concept. This study employed a modified framework to holistically determine the water security status of households in Makurdi town. Data was gathered via the questionnaire administered to 404 respondents mainly household heads (both male and female), using the systematic random sampling technique. The water security index was calculated using an adopted formula. The results show that Makurdi town has a water security index of 3.15, indicating that the town is moderately water-secure, although certain areas require improvement. While water supply, hygiene, and resilience to water-related disasters generally perform well, sanitation emerges as the weakest dimension. The results also showed evidence of spatial variation between and within income groups. Following these findings, the paper recommends among other things that government should foster stronger collaborations with non-state actors to mobilize technical expertise and financial resources to support the provision of critical infrastructure needed to close the gap in water security across neighborhoods in Makurdi town.
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