ASSESSING SUSTAINABILITY OF WATER SUPPLY AND ITS CHALLENGES IN ARJO TOWN, EASTERN WOLLEGA, WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study was conducted in Arjo town, Eastern Wollega, Ethiopia. The town has been through a persistent problem of clean water supply in the past ten years. The general objective of the study was targeted to assess the status and challenges of sustainable water supply and consumption for dwellers of Arjo Town. In order to address the stated objectives of the research, the study employed mixed research Approach (qualitative and quantitative).The data were collected from 153 systematically selected sample household heads; interview, field observation, and FGD which were conducted in the same kebeles 01 and 02 under the study area. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (person correlation and ONE-WAY ANOVA) they were presented using percentage, table, pie chart, and bar graphs. This study had confirmed that Arjo town water supply service office could not cover the demand of water for the town with present existing capacity. The findings of the study revealed that; the water supply service of the town doesn’t supply water for the locality in important amount and quality. As per the study result the root causes of the challenging problems were; inaccessibility, unfair water distribution, the community fetching water from unprotected source, landscape, low production of water, electric interruption, financial problem, lack of skilled man power and material resource, lack of enough pressure at the source, single borehole. Based on the findings, the study forwarded the following recommendations to ensure sustainable water supply in Arjo town; searching different water sources, joining different actors who help to fill the financial gap, mobilizing financial resources, evenly distributing water points, installing additional public water points, and staffing organizational structure with skillful personnel and equipping it with materialamenities.