Community Water Assessment Handbook

Introduction

Consider a scenario where urban households in Lokoja are drawn from the same neighborhood and also connected to one water pipe/ or source, yet these households have different access to drinking water. The residential building in household A is situated in lowland topography and enjoys at least two (2) days water supply every week. As a result, Mr A family can store water in empty drums/storage tanks for later use. However, Household B, C and D live in hilly land topography and experience low pressure of water supply per week and sometimes a zero/lack of water supply for months at intervals. Due to shortage of water in B, C, & D homes, they collectively approached the head of household A to help them by allowing their children (B, C, & D) to fetch water from his outdoor pump and water tank, if need be. While Mr A agreed and tries to share personal water facilities with his neighbors, could it be that Mr A decided to solve his neighbor’s water crisis because he currently enjoys free water services? Mr A is more likely to assist household BCD, partly because a pay as you go meter is not installed to measure household A water consumption or usage rate. Apparently, based on the observations made by the researcher, we learnt that, Mr A family members were not happy about their father’s decision – complaining that their outdoor water tank is often empty each time they need more water for washing of cloths at weekends. Mr A finally reversed his decision and put a padlock to the water tank to protect his family; unfortunately, little did Mr A know that an unknown benefiting neighbor will vandalize his outdoor water facility and leave them all to taste what it means for some households to face disaster related to water inequality within communities and between households.

This water governance report presents safe water solutions to water crisis at the community level. But, as the population of Kogi indigenes continue to rise geometrically, do you think duty bearers (public water service providers) in Kogi State and NGOs mangers are adopting sustainable strategies to solve water inequality problem?