Background: Water is essential for health, and therefore
considered a fundamental human need that as a matter of
right should be provided for all. The provision of quality
portable water is therefore one of the millennium
development goals. The objective of this study is to
examine the water situation in some communities in the oil
rich Niger delta region of Nigeria.
Method: The study was carried out in 14 rural and semiurban
communities in Rivers State, south-south Nigeria,
using a descriptive cross-sectional study design. Data was
collected using key informant interviews, field
observations and focus group discussions. An inventory of
the community water supply facilities in the communities
was done, and information collected on the functionality,
access and quality of the facilities.
Results: There were a total of 89 community water supply
facilities in the communities, an average of 6.4 per
community. However, only three of the communities had
piped water supply, but with very few household
connections. Most of the facilities were either provided by
government and its agencies (73.03%), or provided by the
oil companies operating in the communities (24.72%).
Only (34.83%) of the facilities were however noted to be
functional. Even as 32.43% of the water samples were
found to contain significant numbers of Escherichia coli;
all the samples collected from the rivers in the communities
were found to be heavily contaminated. The median time
spent in a round trip to a water facility was found to be 7.8
minutes, with 75.37% of the drawers spending less than 15
minutes for the trip.
Conclusions: Most of the oil bearing communities had
easy access to improved water supply, but most of the
facilities were nonfunctional, with little community input
in their operation and maintenance.