International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 5, Issue 9, September 2015 1 ISSN 2250-3153 www.ijsrp.org Assessment of Water Supply Situation in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria: Implications for the Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. Olugbamila Omotayo Ben * , Ogunyemi Omotayo F. ** * Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria ** Department of Surveying and Geo-informatics, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, P.M.B. 1019, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria Abstract- Water is one of the most important factor in the development of a nation and until recently, this essential element of urban liveability-domestic water supply have not received the much needed attention it deserved in promoting good urban living. This paper therefore, examines water supply situation in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from both primary and secondary sources through physical survey, observation, interview and questionnaires administered to targeted residents of the different quarters of the ancient town. The study reveals among others shortage of portable water as well as lack of attention to maintenance and sustainability. Moreover, majority of the respondents get their water supplies from unprotected source thereby making them vulnerable to water borne diseases. The study therefore recommends among others the conduct of awareness campaign to sensitize the local people, provision of good and safe drinking water as well as the repair/maintenance of the existing water facilities in order to achieve the target of the MDG. Index Terms- Millennium Development Goals, Sanitation, Safe Drinking Water, Urban liveability I. INTRODUCTION ocial services are of critical importance to the well-being of the people and the enhancement of socio-economic development of their various communities. One key critical social service is water. Right from the advent of human civilization, water spawned life of this planet and has since sustained it. Water possesses the powers of life and death, controlling the fate of everything from micro-organisms to man. This explains why the United Nations in November 1980 inaugurated its International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation decade. This ambitious programme is premised on the fact that water resource development is integral to national economic and social development and that access to safe drinking water and facilities are basic human rights (Buell, 1984). Water is the most common substance on earth and it contributes in several ways to the economic and social development of any society. The use of water in any place includes drinking, cooking, washing and general sanitation. Others include industrial usage, growing of crops in terms of irrigation and livestock keeping. It covers more than 70 percent of the earth surface. It fills the oceans, rivers, and lakes, and is in the ground and in the air we breathe. Water is everywhere regardless of language, culture or ethnicity, all human shares this basic need that is essential for survival. Water is therefore one of the most important factor in development and until recently, the multiple benefits of this essential element of urban liveability- domestic water supply have not received the much needed attention it deserved in promoting good urban living. It is generally acknowledged that Africa has the lowest total water supply coverage of any region in the world. The minimum water requirement per head for houses with modern conveniences according to WHO (Adaramola 1990) is about 115 litres. According to Kabbaj, (2004), total coverage of water supply in Africa is around 62 percent and sanitation coverage around 60 percent. It is estimated that currently about 300 million people in Africa do not have access to safe water supply. This situation is a major cause of diseases, as a high proportion of Africans suffers from one of six major water-related diseases. Particularly affected are women and children who travel long distances to fetch water and spend inordinate amounts of time and energy at the expense of family activities, education and other productive work. The UNCH Habitat (1998) identified urban problems throughout the less developed countries to include environmental degradation, inadequate shelter, infrastructure, water supply, sewerage and employment. Estimates from the WHO indicates that 25 percent of all urban dwellers in developing world do not have access to safe water supplies and 50 per cent do not have an adequate sanitation. In addition, the UNDP World Bank water and sanitation programme indicate that by the year 2000 more than 600m million urban people will lack adequate sanitation and 450 million will lack safe drinking water (Urban Age, 1992). In much of the world polluted water, improper waste disposal and poor water management cause serious public health problems. Some water related diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid and schistosomiasis harm or kill millions of people every year. According to Water org (2010) 443 million school days are lost each year to water-related illness. A child dies every eight seconds from contaminated water with total deaths record of over 5million people every year (Ushman, 2003). Overuse and pollution of water supplies are also taking a heavy toll on the natural environment and pose increasing risk for many species of life (Ifabiyi, 2000). Shortage of portable water supply for domestic use has become a perennial problem in many Nigerian towns and cities. In November 2001, it was reported that S