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Abstract Water dams have been constructed in various regions across the globe to enhance access to potable water. Among these, the Aiba water reservoir, commissioned in 1957, was envisioned as a pivotal source of treated water for Iwo and its environs. Unfortunately, despite its inauguration, the primary objective of ensuring a sustainable and reliable water supply to the community remains unrealized to date. This research seeks to evaluate the accessibility of the study area to pipe-borne water (PBW) and discern the driving forces through the administration of structured questionnaire across 480 respondents out of which 458 were retrieved for analysis. The study utilized both descriptive and inferential statistics, employing Statistical Product for Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23. The respondent demographic revealed that 83.6% were female, and 18.4% claimed paying water tariffs while 76.2% relied on groundwater as their principal source of water. The data showed revealed diverse factors hindering PBW connectivity namely: Administrative bottlenecks (12%), while 57% cited the availability of alternative water sources as a reason for not connecting to PBW; 9% reported poor infrastructure for PBW, and 18% highlighted the unreliability of water supply from Aiba Water Works (AWW). Further analysis through Factor Analysis (FA) pinpointed three salient variables significantly influencing PBW accessibility. These are proximity to the main network (42.557%); cost of connectivity (22.275%); and availability of other sources (14.480%). These findings underscored the critical importance of expanding the PBW network, given the prevalent non-proximity of most residences to the main water pipes. Moreover, the research suggests that capacity building initiatives should be implemented to enhance the economic well-being of citizens, thereby fostering an improved quality of life for the inhabitants of the studied area. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the complexities surrounding water accessibility and offers practical recommendations to realise SDG 6 by 2030. Graphical Abstract

The provision of clean water, microorganisms-free water is crucial in preventing the transmission of waterborne diseases. This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the bacteriological quality of water sources accessible to students within Nasarawa State University Keffi. Sixteen samples, comprising ten from piped source, three from boreholes, and three from wells, were subjected to bacteriological quality assessment. The total bacterial count was analyzed using the pour plate technique, while the total coliform count and bacteriological index were assessed through the most probable number technique. Among the various water sources examine, pipe-borne water exhibited the lower bacterial contamination with a mean of 0.6×106 CFU/100 mL in contrast to borehole and well water sources, which recorded mean of 1.6×106 and 3.2×106 CFU/100 mL, respectively. Additionally, pipe-borne water demonstrated the lowest mean total coliform count, registering 22 MPN/100 mL. Notably, Notably, the water samples were found to harbor bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Enterobacter aerogens, and Citrobacter sp. Alarming findings from this study highlight the unsuitability of most water samples for human consumption, as they fail to meet the quality standards established by the World Health Organization. Consequently, it is necessary to implement measures aimed at safeguarding water sources from contamination and curbing the proliferation of diseases. Furthermore, it is pertinent to prioritize adequate treatment of domestic water sources prior to consumption to ensure public health and well-being.

The provision of clean water, microorganisms-free water is crucial in preventing the transmission of waterborne diseases. This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the bacteriological quality of water sources accessible to students within Nasarawa State University Keffi. Sixteen samples, comprising ten from piped source, three from boreholes, and three from wells, were subjected to bacteriological quality assessment. The total bacterial count was analyzed using the pour plate technique, while the total coliform count and bacteriological index were assessed through the most probable number technique. Among the various water sources examine, pipe-borne water exhibited the lower bacterial contamination with a mean of 0.6×106 CFU/100 mL in contrast to borehole and well water sources, which recorded mean of 1.6×106 and 3.2×106 CFU/100 mL, respectively. Additionally, pipe-borne water demonstrated the lowest mean total coliform count, registering 22 MPN/100 mL. Notably, Notably, the water samples were found to harbor bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Enterobacter aerogens, and Citrobacter sp. Alarming findings from this study highlight the unsuitability of most water samples for human consumption, as they fail to meet the quality standards established by the World Health Organization. Consequently, it is necessary to implement measures aimed at safeguarding water sources from contamination and curbing the proliferation of diseases. Furthermore, it is pertinent to prioritize adequate treatment of domestic water sources prior to consumption to ensure public health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of coliform bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) in water used for drinking is of great public health concern due to the risk it poses to consumers. This risk is exacerbated when the bacteria are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. This study aimed at determining the antibiotic resistant phenotypes among E. coli isolated from sachet water (Pure water) and municipal pipe-borne water in selected local government areas of Kaduna state, Nigeria. A total of 105 water samples (69 sachet water and 36 municipal pipe-borne water) were subjected to bacterial isolation following standard methods and the isolated E. coli were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing to ten (10) commonly used antibiotics. The isolation rates of the organism were 14.4% and 22.9% in sachet and pipe-borne water respectively. The isolates were all (100%) susceptible to gentamicin, and also showed high susceptibility to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (83.3%), chloramphenicol (94.5%), cefotaxime (94.5%) and sulphamethoxazole - trimethoprim (100%). On the other hand, 9 isolates (50%) showed various resistance patterns with 3 isolates being resistant to up to seven (7) antibiotics, with resistance patterns TE, NA, C, CIP, CTX, AMP, AML and TE, NA, AMC, SXT, CIP, AMP, AML. Eight out of the 9 resistant isolates showed resistance to Nalidixic acid and 7 showed resistance to Tetracycline. These results indicate that drinking water in the study area is a source of antibiotic resistance. It is obvious that more attention needs to be focused on ensuring the safety and potability of drinking water in the study area.

Water problem in the Colombo city has aggravated over the time. Thus, encouraging consumers for responsible water consumption is imperative. As the city is almost completely reliant on pipe-borne water, water tariff could be utilized in this effort. However, as water is a basic need and a human right, an upward revision of tariff should not deprive consumers from satisfying essential needs, while discouraging wasteful consumption. Therefore, this study attempted to identify whether the consumers are sensitive to changes in water tariff, whether there exists a disparity among different blocks of tariff with respect to Price Elasticity of Demand and identify different sensitivities of levels of consumption to an increase in tariff. In order to achieve the research objectives, the Price Elasticity of Demand for pipe-borne water, overall and block-wise, was analyzed, before and after the last revision of tariff in 2012. Results revealed that after the revision, overall consumption had reduced and out of nine blocks, first three and last two were the least sensitive and the four blocks in the middle were the most sensitive. Thus, it was recommended that in order to discourage wasteful consumption, unit rates of highly sensitive blocks should be increased and to preserve economic efficiency and welfare, the tariff for least sensitive blocks should not be revised significantly.