WATER POVERTY INDEX OF SOME SELECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF EKITI STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

The water poverty index of some selected local government areas in Ekiti State was investigatedto identify and evaluate a tool for assessing poverty in relation to water resource availability. Two approaches: the Composite Index Approach and the Time Analysis Approach were used in calculating water poverty index in Ekiti State using a wide range of data generated from household surveys in ten local government areas out of the existing sixteen local government areas of Ekiti State. The hydrological and hydraulic parameters in the Local Government Areas in Ekiti State were considered as well. The result obtained shows that using the composite index approach with parameters such as water availability, accessibility to safe water, time taken to access water among others, the Water Poverty Index (WPI) of 20.8, 18.7, and 18.7 were obtained in Moba, Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ado Local Government areas respectively. This is higher than that of Ekiti East, Ise-Orun and Ikere Local Government areas with 10.2, 15.5 and 16.5 water poverty index in that order. This indicates that people in Moba, Irepodunllfelodun and Ado Local Government areas experience little stress in accessing safe water when compared with people in Ekiti East, lse-Orun and Ikere. In Time Analysis Approach, water poverty index (WPI) of 0.17, 0.32 and 0.33 were obtained in Ido-Osi, bye and Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government areas respectively while higher water poverty index of 0.60, 0.57, 0.50 and 0.48 were obtained in Ekiti East, Ekiti South West, Ise-Orun and Ikere Local Government areas respectively. This indicates that Ekiti East, Ekiti South West, Ise-Orun and Ikere Local Government areas are more water stressed in terms of accessibility to safe water.