DETERMINANTS OF RESIDENTIAL PER CAPITA WATER DEMAND OF MAKURDI METROPOLIS

This report presents the findings of the study on the determinants of residential per capita water demand of Makurdi metropolis in Benue State, Nigeria. Data for the study was obtained by the use of questionnaires, oral interviews and observations. The data was analyzed using SPSS. Twenty variables were considered in the multiple regression analysis for developing a consumption model. Seven variables were found to influence residential per capita water consumption significantly. Level of education, gender, kitchen type, number of cars, and well as a source were positively significant while, household size and number of children below 6 years influence the per capita water demand negatively. The multiple regression analysis showed R2 of 0.434 implying that the model explains 43% of the variation in residential per capital water demand of Makurdi. The F test (F= 14.236, p= 0.01) showed that the variables in the model combine together to predict the residential per capita water demand of Makurdi metropolis. The consideration of the various factors identified as influencing the residential per capita water consumption in Makurdi metropolis is recommended. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i2.2