Assessment of Urban Domestic Water Demand and Supply in Edo North, Nigeria

An exponential increase in the global population has seriously put pressure on land and water resources. It is projected that 33% of the worldwide people will be highly water-stressed by the 2050s if effective strategies are not developed. The study assessed urban domestic water demand and supply in Edo North senatorial district in Edo State, Nigeria. This is with the view of exploring some critical water resource variables to determine water security, distribution, and accessibility of safe drinking water in Edo North in Edo State in Nigeria. Integrated Water Resource Management Tools (IWRT) such as Water Poverty Index (WPI) and Water Accessibility Indicator (WAI) was applied. The results show that Auchi is highly water-stressed at the Estako-west area with MPI and WAI values of 0.24 and 0.33. Conversely, Okpella and Agenebode in Eskako central have MPI and WAI values 0.34 and 0.31, and 0.31 and 0.32. Sabo Gida Ora and Isobe in Owan East and West have better safe drinking water coverage and accessibility with the indicator values of 0.54, 0.53 [WPI], and 0.61 and 0.59 [WAI]. It is generally observed that the supply of potable water in the Edo North is highly unsecured and unsustainable to meet the current and future demand. Valuable and economic time is wasted to gather water from an average closest distance of 1.3 km from home to some designated water taps. In conclusion, it is imperative to design a robust integrated water policy that should include Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) to invest in the provision of safe drinking water.