Assessment of the State of Urban & Rural Water Supply Program in Plateau State, Nigeria; Case of the Southern Region

Abstract

This paper seeks to assess the state of Urban & Rural Water Supply program in the Southern Region of Plateau State, Nigeria, by examining the current level of water supply services and by the examination of the existing institutional linkages and relationships among actors and stakeholders, foster coordination and collaboration in all service delivery arrangements. This is with a view to make recommendations towards improving and enhancing access to water and transferring competencies for community-led service delivery. A mixed method approach was used to assess the status of WASH services, satisfaction level and Mapping of communities with existing water supply facilities to decide their spatial distribution and attributes. The qualitative based evidence from 6 semi-structured face-to-face interviews with ward leaders from 6 case studies (communities) and the existing documents reviewed (WASH department at LGCs within the study area). A multiple sectioned questionnaire was used in the survey and the sections include; The tool used is the UNICEF–WaterAid WASH program. The questionnaires were administered and returned representing 80% returned rate. Based on response 0.9 rate for the Cronbach’s Alpha of the data shows coefficients used to test for reliability or consistency. The results revealed that 82% of rural settlements were dispersed, with such settlements having limited access to basic amenities, improved water sources, and 62% of the communities having such access. The institutional linkages indicated that there is a weak institutional linkage to make water readily available within the zone, affecting adequacy of water supply within the zone. However, schools (57%), PHCs (69%), and public spaces (55%) all have improved water access to improve the quality of life generally. Based on the results obtained, recommendations were made to help the policy makers, practitioners and the academia.