ABSTRACT

The suitability and sustainability of any human settlement for economic development is strongly linked to the level of serviceability and livability. Settlement serviceability and livability is infrastructure-based and water services function, as a basic amenity. This is due to the nature of the benefits of access to water 1'Yhich has multiplier effects. It is going critical to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. This significance notwithstanding, about 25% of the world's people have no access to safe drinking water. In Nigeria a national per ·capita of 21 litres falls far short of minimum survival quantity of rVHO put at 45/litres per capita. In Kogi state households with access to piped water is only 8.5% presenting a debilitating water situation. This study therefore is aimed at assessing household water accessibility in Eastern Ko gi state of Nigeria. It addresses itself to the basic question!(what is the nature of household water supply and the inherent crisis. Methodology; adopted combines 1'H'zmary and secondary data collection tools including household (l questionnaire survey covering two of the nine local government areas in the study area. Secondary data was collected on institutional interventit/'l in water inj7-astructure at both state and local government level. Results are analyzed within the scope WHO' water accessibility indicators. Findings show that domestic ·water supply in eastern Kogi state is mainly an inter play of different traditional water supply sources,· three sources (vendor, rain and river/steam) account for over 85% of water sources to households in the sampled population. household water accessibility is affected mainly by the factor of income, household size and to a lesser e.�tent distance,· average per capita water accessible is consistent 1'Vith ;!;;. national figure and so domestic water supply is fn acute shortage. The mo'!': -: .... try equivalent of time lost to fetching water by household is at least 145 naira, 24kobo per day, ur 4066naira, 72kobo per month. The result of the hypotheses shows that quantity of water strongly correlates with household size and it is significant at r=O.OOJ.Similarly household size accounted for 42% of total predictor contribution, --while inconze accounted for 27.83%. To solve the water problem of the area the study's recommendations included, Settlement Cluster for water infrastructure i.e integrating geographical and functional specializations,· building a central water infrastructure with multiple subsidimy units and integrating grbuncz "tmd· stafctce water development.