ASSESSMENT OF RAINWATER HARVESTING POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES IN IJEBU ODE, SOUTHWESTERN PART OF NIGERIA FOR STRATEGIC ADVICE

Rainwater harvesting in Ijebu Ode was examined to understand the potential and challenges militating against its utilization despite its availability and the need for it. Rainfall data was analyzed to obtain annual depth and variations pointing to its availability. Questionnaire was randomly distributed between formal and informal settlements to determine variation based on acceptability of rainwater harvesting as an alternative. It was revealed that although the number of household member vary based on the settlements, the informal settlement with highest number of household members are having problem with rainwater use for reasons such as ‘it gets dirty easily and other hygienic reasons’. Thus the use of rainwater is dependent on the quality of the water. It was statistically proven however that government subsidy and regular monitoring can motivate households into practicing rainwater harvesting in Ijebu Ode. It is thus posited that meeting MDG goals on halving the access to water could be achieved if the household owners are properly motivated