Drinking Water Access Deprivation Modelled Dataset in Kano, Nigeria

Produced as part of the IDEAMAPS Data Ecosystem project, this dataset maps relative levels of difficulty in accessing safe and reliable drinking water across urban areas. It provides a spatial representation of access constraints by combining physical accessibility, service reliability, and demand pressures at the neighbourhood level. Model focus and indicators were prioritised through community engagement and validation exercises, ensuring that the representation of access deprivation reflects lived experiences and locally relevant conditions in the study areas.

The model explicitly incorporates a gender lens by recognising that, while both men and women may participate in water collection, women remain primarily responsible for household water use and management. As a result, women are disproportionately exposed to time burdens, queuing, and service reliability failures. Despite carrying the bulk of water-related labour, women are often underrepresented in decision-making regarding drinking water at both household and community levels. This imbalance between responsibility and authority means that drinking water access is analysed not only as an infrastructural challenge, but as a factor with direct implications for women’s empowerment, particularly in terms of agency, participation, and control over resources.