Abstract:
Access to safe water is measured in terms of the proportion of the population who has an adequate quantity of water from improved sources. This study examines the accessibility to rural water supply in Oba-Ile and Oba-Oke in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. The study employed the use of different sets of structured questionnaire to assess the level of accessibility to rural water supply in the study area. The total number of households in the two communities was1,715 out which 510 households were sampled using systematic random sampling technique. The total number of questionnaires retrieved and used for data analysis was 492. The study revealed that various sources of domestic water available to the house holds in the two communities include boreholes, well water, deep well, rainwater, streams, and rivers. Only four motorized public and one hand powered boreholes were functioning in the study area.However,most households depend on deep well which is about 26.7%, uncovered well 39.6% and only 44.3% had access to improved source of water supply.The study also revealed that distance, time spent, obsolete water supply facilities and majorly non-functionality of pipe borne water place limitations on access to improved sources.Inaddition, 56.9% of the house holds sampled obtained water within 500m from their dwelling places. About 51% spent less than one hour round trip to obtained water from improved sources while 27.4% was annually afflicted with water borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, cholera and dysentery. It was revealed that Rural Water Supply Agency (RUWESA) has contributed to the water supply in the study area through sinking of boreholes. The research work recommends rehabilitation of damaged pipe that supply water to the two communities from Eko-Ende water works, reactivation of non-functional motorized and hand pump boreholes, provision of good storage facilities and mini water scheme among others.
