Water, Sanitation And Human Development In Urban Fringe Settlements In Nigeria

The importance of water and sanitation facilities has been reflected in the measurement of human development and in their inclusion in Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Water and sanitation facilities attain a unique situation at the urban fringe. This study is focused on the investigation of the supply of water and sanitation facilities in the fringe settlements along a development corridor of Minna, Nigeria. This corridor is attracting development from both federal and state institutions including large scale housing development. The settlements are outside the limits of water mains for the city of Minna and have received little attention in the provision of water and sanitation facilities. The present state of water and sanitation in these settlements connote low human development and stand at risk to the health of the people. The danger of serious impact on health with current urbanization of these settlements calls for re-evaluation of a laissez-faire approach that leaves the residents to informal adjustment. Against these backgrounds, the objectives of this paper are to investigate access to water and sanitation facilities in the urban fringe settlements, to determine the adequacy of these facilities; to investigate coping mechanisms by the people, to understand the burden of water search and how these are likely to affect health and human development and to discuss how integrated community-based efforts could improve water and sanitation facilities in the settlements.