MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS OF RURAL WATER SUPPLY IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF WATER CORPORATION ENUGU)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Nigeria is blessed by nature with a lot of natural resources amongst which water is one of them, WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) confirmed that Nigeria was blessed with abundant water resources, the excess of which has been causing flood and erosion in many part of the country.  However, the distribution of this water resources was not evenly spread over the country, life and other agricultural activities every year irrespective of the draught that frequently occur in the Northern part of the country of course, man had been obtaining water for domestic and other purposes since man’s creation.  Water supply can therefore be said to be as old as man itself.

Inspite of the availability of resource, WHO (1976) maintained that “its supply to the majority of the population especially, the rural areas is very much inadequate”.

Enugu state of Niger Ediet No. 16 (1978) simply defined rural water supply as a wide category of scheme ranging from a well width buchet supplying water to a few isolated but to river pumping scheme from such a simple treatment as communal stand pipes to tap in individuals homes and provisions for linestock and vegetable gardens.

Ilo (1991), however stated that various traditional means of obtaining water has been developed by individual and communities for many centuries and that some of these systems were very much in use by various communities both rural and urban.

The United Nations Economic commission for Africa (1973) confirmed that it was only about 20% of the population of Nigeria that have access to potable water supply.  It further stated that majority of these people are those that are living in the urban and semi urban area of the country and that even the privileged places that has access to such facilities were not being served sufficiently.

Thus the need for the provision of adequate water supply and sanitation is highly appreciated.  And this had promoted the choice of the topic on the management and operational problems of rural water supply in Nigeria.

A case study of water corporation Enugu, with a view to recommending solutions which if accepted, would help to solve these problems and as well, facilitates to the alleviation of the sobering of the people.

Water Corporation Enugu was establishing as a parastatal under Enugu State of Nigeria Edict No.16 of (1978).  The corporation was originally charged with the statutory responsibility of supplying drinking water to all the urban as well as the rural communities of old Enugu State.  It was formerly the water section of then East Central State Ministry of Works and Housing.  The general manage is responsible of the day to day running of the corporation, while the board of directors or the commissioner of the controlling ministry in the absence of the governing board, is responsible for policy matters only.