Adaptation and Mitigation to Water Stress in Safana Local Government Headquarters of Katsina State, Nigeria

The study assessed local perception on adaptation and mitigation to water stress in Safana town. The nature of water stress and its related adaptation and mitigation correlate with spatio-temporal patterns. Six (6) major parameters that influence adaptation and mitigation to water stress used in this study include; household size, water sources, water cost, distance from source, seasonal pattern, and agencies involved in water supply. Structured questionnaires, interview, and Focused Group Discussion was adopted for the primary data survey. A total of one hundred copies of questionnaire were administered using chance approach, while key informants were used for the interview. The study area was partitioned into four cardinal locations (N, S, E, & W) and questionnaires administered in that order (25:25:25:25). Both inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analysed and test the stated hypothesis. Findings indicates that the study area is characterised by large household sizes with about 57% households having 11- ≥20, major source of water supply is borehole (98%). The season with highest water stress is march-july, more than 40% have their water source at a distance of about 400 m away from their homes. A strong correlation exists between household size and daily domestic water supply. Limited distance is covered to accessed water and with the months of March to July (42%) being the period of water stressed in time past, but government effort has yielded positively. However, the existing water facility are still rated Fair (62%), increase in water storage facilities (44.55%) and cutting down on uses (26.73%) are practical coping strategies in use. Equally, the construction of more boreholes (40.57%) in the study area, effective management and maintenance of existing water facilities (12.26%), and synergizing community-Government partnership (12.26%) respectively are key to improving sustainability in domestic water supply. Other measures suggested rainfall harvesting; increase in the number of motorized solar powered boreholes; sitting of a treatment plant in Safana LGA with water being accessed from Zobe dam; Sinking more of ring wells within neighborhoods; and rehabilitation of rusty pipes supplying water from Dutsinma treatment plant, and networking of new pipes to emerging settlement location around the town.