Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study investigated the socioeconomic determinants of households’ access to safe drinking water alongside the factors responsible for urban-rural inequality in access to safe drinking water in Nigeria.

Methods/Statistical Analysis: Data from 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) was used. The study adopted both ordinary least squared (OLS) and probit regression models to estimate the determinants of access to safe drinking water (SDW). The technique of Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition has also been adopted to assess the urban-rural inequality in having access to SDW.

Findings: The results show that age linear, marital status, household size, awareness, Northern region, female and access to electricity have positive effects on the likelihood to access safe drinking water (SDW). However, age nonlinear, poor, rural locality and time taken to fetch water have negative impacts on the probability to adopt a particular source of SDW. Also, the same factors except female are responsible for the urban-rural inequality in access to SDW.

Improvements/Applications: The study recommended that there should be old age social security for old people, private water selling business, massive electrification, awareness campaign, incentive system, and rural development, to access SDW.

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