Water Governance Outcomes of Natural Spring Development Project in Ibadan City, Nigeria

Using governance indicators, this paper evaluates service outcomes ofcommunities’ initiatives in the development of natural springs that have beenin operation for the past one- and-a-half decades in Ibadan city, Nigeria. Naturalspring water projects as alternative water supply sources to forestall impendingwater supply shortages in Ibadan were facilitated by the Sustainable IbadanProject (SIP). This study made use of document review, site visitation andinformal interviews. In addition, 280 households were sampled for water accesssurvey in four local communities that had benefitted from the natural springproject. Research results show that the strategy has provided improved wateraccess in the beneficiary communities. Also, the spring water projects in thecase study communities have been sustained over time through cost recovery,community-based management and service efficiency, thereby fulfillinggovernance indices. The paper recommends the institutionalisation of theadopted strategy for further replication of spring water development incommunities where such resources are available towards improved wateraccess in Nigeria.