Household water demand in the peri-urban communities of Awka, Capital of Anambra State, Nigeria

The aim of this paper is to determine relevant factors contributing to the water demand in the peri-urban communities of Awka capital city. Towards achieving this aim, questionnaire were developed and served on the households in various communities to collect relevant data on the 13 physical and socio-economic factors we earlier identified as influencing water demand in the area.  Water quality was ascertained through microbiological analysis of water samples.  The major analytical techniques used were multiple correlations, the result of which was subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Principal Component Regression.  Result shows that the 13 variables combined to contribute 90.0% of water demand in the area.  Furthermore, the low standard error of estimates of 0.029 litres shows that water demand in the communities could be predicted using the 13 variables.  Policy and planning measures to improve the water supply situation of the area were suggested.    Key words: Capital, communities, factors, peri-urban, water demand.