Household Water Use Efficiency and its implication for Sustainable 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) among twenty-seven households working in Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria. The households were made up of 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 were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Estimates of used volume of each variable/day were expressed in litres, the frequency of use and the sources of the used water were obtained. All respondents have tertiary education and are females.  The family size ranged from 2 to 5 and they generally source their water (96.37% groundwater) close to their homes and premises. Potential areas of excessive water use in homes were identified, using Factor Analysis, to be laundry, incidental uses and auto-wash which are in the non-consumptive category. The trio constituted 53.33% of all water usage in homes. This is evidently beyond sustainability threshold and demands further attention. Thus, water use efficiency in homes should conservatively address non-consumptive uses by using water-propelled machines at full capacities, water-reuse/recycling and taking sensible responsibilities for resource sustainability.