Factors influencing household access to drinking water in Nigeria

摘要

Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the United Nations, adopted in 2015, aims at equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. Attaining this goal is difficult without focusing on inequalities among regions and populations. This article explores the factors that influence household access to drinking water in Nigeria using 2013 Demographic and Health Surveys. Descriptive and inferential statistics show that about 88% of all households that used surface water are from rural areas. The Northwest and Northeast regions are home to 78% of all households that use unprotected wells. Whereas 64% of households with access to piped water into dwelling are richer and richest households, the middle-class, poorer and poorest households constitute 83.4% of surface water users. Household drinking water sources are significantly (p = 0.01) influenced by place of residence (chi(2) = 8328.2), geopolitical zone (chi(2) = 12042.8), education (chi(2) = 5346.2), wealth index (chi(2) = 16540.3), ethnicity (chi(2) = 8649.9), access to electricity (chi(2) = 8040.9), and gender (chi(2) = 537.3). Logistic regression analysis indicates that these variables, as well as state of residency, water collection time, and number of rooms, are significant predictors of access to improved or unimproved water sources. Toilet type and household size are not significant. Based on the findings, we recommend providing public standpipes and community boreholes as interim measures and piped water eventually, household water treatment as a stop-gap measure for improving water safety, and targeted interventions in poor communities and marginalized regions.