ACCESSIBLE MUNICIPAL WATER SOURCES IN ERELU WATERWORKS ZONE, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

The inability of the municipalitys pipe - borne water distribution systems in Nigerias cities has resulted in the dependency of individuals on groundwater sources. This is important in solving the problem of water security, infrastructure, and health problems in areas that are experiencing rapid urbanization. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 898 households across four Local Government Areas in the Erelu waterworks zone. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a one-sample t-test at a 0.05 significance level. Hand-dug wells constitute the majority of traditional water sources (74.66%), followed by motorized boreholes (19.50%), with piped water unavailable in any of the LGAs. Hand-dug wells constitute the predominant sources of water for consumption (49.82%), but sachet/bottled water usage has significantly risen to 18.68%, indicative of poor quality concerns. For cooking (73.42%), bathing (80.56%), laundry (81.07%), toilet flushing (81.53%), and car washing (76.91%), hand-dug wells remain the dominant water source, thereby implying the multi-purpose use of raw groundwater. The reliability of water sources differs widely; 54.61% have adequate water supply throughout the year, 19.60% rely only on rainy seasons, whereas 9.33% experience persistent water scarcity.