An assessment of effects of domestic water stress on income and occupation in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examined domestic water stress (DWS) which is a ratio between water available per capita and water requirement per capita at household level. The shortfall between water availability and requirement defines domestic water stress. This incidence is studied in Hong Local Government Area (LGA) with a view to examining its effects on income and occupation of the residents of the LGA. The study utilized the compendium of localities in LGAs in Adamawa State obtained from the National Population Commission (NPC) which chronicled the autonomous communities in the 7 districts of Hong LGA. Out of the 126 communities reported, 32 (25.4%) were systematically selected and a total of 2,135 households randomly sampled for the study. Domestic water stress index (DWSI) was obtained using the 50 litres minimum standards of the UN to establish the pattern and level of DWS in the area. Results indicated that 50% of the sampled households are severely water-stressed, 40.6% are partially water-stressed while only 9.4% of the households are not water-stressed. Results also indicated a significant correlation between DWS and occupation and income at r = 0.650 and 0.590 respectively. Similarly, DWS affects income and occupation at R² = 0.730 and 0.643 respectively. This means that changes in DWS account for 73% and 64.3% unit changes on income and occupation respectively. To tackle the problems of DWS and its consequent effects on income and occupation in the area, a physical planning proposal of Rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) was advanced with planning standard recommendations for conveyance and storage facilities since there is adequate rainfall for this type of system in the LGA.

Keywords: Domestic Water Stress, Income, Occupation, Households, Planning