Domestic water consumption under unimproved water supply in semi-arid region of northern Nigeria

Northern Nigeria forms part of a semi-arid region of Africa experiencing water scarcity. Reliable access to safe water of sufficient quantity continues to be a major problem for many people in Nigeria. Domestic water use patterns disaggregated into specific end uses were determined from a survey of 218 households using a simple random sampling technique. Findings revealed that households must use multiple sources—including unimproved water supplies such as water vendors—in order to achieve 27.70 litres per capita per day (lpcd), which is slightly above the minimum water requirements set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Important findings from this survey include detailed data related to water consumption and information on lifestyle and traditional water use patterns. Water consumption is affected by income level, household sizes, distance to sources and rainfall variability. Further studies should be carried out over a longer period of time to ascertain the degree to which these variables affect water consumption in the study area. Results of the study will be useful for sustainable water resources system design.