Impact of Urban Density on Water Resources Management in Informal Communities of Kabong District, Jos North Local Government Area

Abstract

Equitable access to safe and reliable water is a major concern in informal settlements, where high population density, limited infrastructure, and weak governance intensify water insecurity. This study examines the water management strategies employed by residents and the local authority in Kabong, focusing on their effectiveness in the context of dense population and informal settlement dynamics. A mixed-method approach was adopted for this study, with a cross-sectional survey conducted among 262 respondents. The selection of respondents was based on the Respondent-Driven Sampling technique due to the absence of official data on population, household listing, and the hidden nature of informal water vendors in Kabong, while purposive sampling was used to select 6 Key Informants for the interview. Results revealed that high population density, inadequate water infrastructure, power outages, poor management, limited income, and seasonal rainfall variability, among other factors, hamper resilient water resource management mechanisms that address both household and livelihood water needs in Kabong. The water infrastructure is dominated by boreholes (49.6%) and shallow hand-dug wells (17.9%); however, 77.4% of respondents indicated that the existing infrastructure was inadequate for community needs, with non-functional boreholes (43.1%), broken pipes (18.7%), and a combination of other issues (24.8%) being the most reported problems. Findings also showed that the management and maintenance of water infrastructure are fragmented, mainly handled by private entities (40.1%) or individual residents (25.2%), with only a few communities receiving minimal government support. Common coping strategies used by residents include reducing water use (35.9%), storing water (29.0%), and a combination of various methods (25.2%), though only 58.4% perceive these measures as effective. The study recommended integrated community-driven approaches supported by government interventions to improve water accessibility, reliability, and sustainable management in Kabong.