Dimensions of water accessibility in Eastern Kogi State of Nigeria

In the history of human development and advancement, water has always played a key role. Within the realm socio-economic development, Water stands out as a critical need, such that over the years it has become a major factor in the location of human activities. The aim of this study is to examine the dimensions of water accessibility by households in the eastern part of Kogi State. The methods of data collection relied on secondary and primary sources. It involved the use of structured questionnaire to elicit information from households. In addition, revenue and expenditure on water infrastructure was analysed. The level of accessibility was assessed in the framework of World Health Organisation’s (WHO) accessibility indicators. The result revealed that, eastern Kogi state is experiencing water crisis. The Major source water supply to households is traditional and unprotected water sources. Based on the WHO’s standard households water access was classified into basic – no access level. The emerging dimensions in distance, time and money translating to a mean distance travel of 513meters daily; 65minutes and N145 respectively. Also it was discovered that neglect in general infrastructure provision and particularly water by government have worsen the challenge. Based on the findings, recommendations were made. One of such recommendations is the need to factor in some distributive guidelines in terms of percentage allocation to infrastructure development in general and sector specific allocation like water.

Keyword: Accessibility, Household, Nigeria, Water, Eastern Kogi State.