STATUS OF URBAN WATER SUPPLY AND CONSUMPTION, THE CASE OF ARBAMINCH TOWN GAMO ZONE, SOUTH ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the status of urban water supply, the case, and the challenges of water supply in Arba Minch town, Southern Ethiopia. In this mixed research design n=309 (male =187 and female =122, with mean age 47±11.12 years) households were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The questionnaire, semi structured interview, and document analysis were the data collection instruments. The town has two types of water sources; one spring about 95l/s discharge and three Boreholes about 75l/s discharge. The daily water demand of the town is 12,800 m3. The volume of daily water supply from these sources is estimated at 9,875m3/day. Per capita, Water consumption estimation for the last three years was (29.66L/c/d, in 2019, (28.15L/c/d, in 2020) and (32.38L/c/d in 2021), which shows fluctuations in water consumption. Besides, Per capita, Water loss estimation for the last three years was 24%, 25%, and 39.75% for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively. Regarding water tariff calculation, for consumption bands 1-5, the multiplying tariff of Arba Minch is higher than that of other towns. The socio-demographic variables like Educational Status, House Owner of participants, Monthly income, and family size of the participants significantly predict households' clean water line connection ownership (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the topography, technical and economic variables are found to be determinants of the town's water supply. Hence, possible measures need to be taken as recommended in the last section of this thesis.