Assessment of Water Vending and Willingness to Pay for Improved Private Water Service within Kano Metropolis, Kano State-Nigeria
- February 15, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Economics, IJRISS
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue I, January 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186
Prof. Garba Ibrahim Sheka1, Godwin Boniface2, Atiman Kasima Wilson3
1Department of Economics, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria
2PhD Student Bayero University, Kano
2Lecturer, Department of Economics, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria
3Lecturer, Department of General Studies, Federal Polytechnic Bali, PMB 05, Taraba State, Nigeria
Abstract: The imbalance in the water infrastructural development, population explosion and rapid urbanization rate has created a serious deficiency in the quantity and quality of water being supplied by the public utility in Nigeria over the years. The scope, severity frequency and indeed complexity of this scenario have led to emergence of water vendors of varying degrees operating mostly in the urban and semi-urban areas of the country. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of water vending, the phenomenon has not received significant empirical researches in the academic literature. This work therefore assessed water vending and willingness to pay for improved private sector water supply within Kano Metropolis, Kano State-Nigeria. The study used primary data collected via questionnaires from 731 households using multi-stage sampling techniques and used both descriptive statistics and Tobit regression to analyze the data. The findings reveal that most of the respondents (80.16%) relied on informal water vendors as the major source of water for domestic consumption. Furthermore, significant percentage (90%) of the respondents expressed willingness to pay for the improved water supply system and reported the sum ₦1,119.51K equivalent to $3.11 of US dollar as mean willingness to pay. The Tobit regression result identified household income spent on water, average daily quantity of water consumed by household, average income of head of household and quality/absence of water supplied by public utility were found to be statistically significant in influencing households’ willingness to pay for improved private sector water supply within the study area. The study recommends that there is need for effective regulation and inspection of small-scale water enterprises and informal water vendors by both NAFDAC and state ministries of water and Health; more intervention by both donors and non-governmental organizations NGOs in providing water to the urban population; and investment by organized private sector through Public Private Partnership PPP in the water industry as currently practiced by Lagos State Government, among others.
Key Words: Private Water Vending; Willingness-to-Pay; Tobit Model; Kano, Nigeria.
