Water Shortages and Drinking Water Quality in Rural Southwest Nigeria: Issues and Sustainable Solutions

Abstract

Nigeria is a highly populated country in West Africa where less than half of the residents have access to safe potable water. Usually characterised by poor socioeconomic infrastructure, the rural people often carry the brunt of this menace. In this paper, we review existing publications and reports on water scarcity and access to potable water in southwestern Nigeria with the view of keeping the subject matter in perspective for policymakers and relevant government agencies and ministries to take urgent steps in ad-dressing the situation. The reported cases of high pathogenic microbial loads, detection of some heavy metals and physicochemical water parameters exceeding the WHO standard for drinking water quality was discussed. The results have serious public health implications. There is, therefore, a need for a paradigm shift from indiscriminate attitudes of water abuse for sustainable solutions to the water challenges.