Household Water Use Efficiency and its Implication for Sustainable Water Accessibility: A case study

Abstract The existential value of water for human survival and sustenance prompted the need to determine factors responsible for water use efficiency (WUE) which is an index for sustainability. The investigation was done among twenty-seven households working in Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria. The households are made up of educated academic and non-academic staff who, by virtue of their exposure and experience are knowledgeable enough to respond accurately to the insightful questions. Specialized variables of indoor water use like (1). Drinking (2). Washing (3). Cooking (4). Bathing (5). Auto-wash (6) Lawn/garden watering (7). Livestock feeds (8). Cleaning and (9). Other incidental uses were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Estimates of used volume of each variable/day were expressed in litres and the frequency of use, also sources of the used water were obtained. The respondents, all have tertiary education and are largely females having traditional roles in water provision. The family size ranged between 2 and 5 and they generally source their water (96.37% groundwater) close to their homes and premises. The t-test conducted revealed that there is a significant difference between CWU and NCWU showing that due attention is required in NCWU to ensure efficient use of the resource. Potential areas of excessive water use in homes were identified, using Factor Analysis, to be cloth washing, incidental uses and auto-wash which are in the non-consumptive category. These three areas of water wastage constitute 53.33% of all water uses in homes. A figure evidently beyond sustainability threshold that demands further attention. In other words, water use efficiency in homes should conservatively address non-consumptive uses. Recommendations are made for more efficient use of water in water-propelled machines at full capacities, water-reuse/recycling and taking practical responsibilities for resource sustainability.