Knowledge of Water Quality for Domestic Use Among Rural Households Around Ewekoro Cement Factory in Ogun State, Nigeria

The quality of water consumed is central to proper functioning of the body system as water plays important roles in body regulation. This study assessed the knowledge of rural households on water quality parameters in Ewekoro Local Government, Ogun State. Multistage sampling procedure was used to obtain primary data on socioeconomic characteristics, sources of water for domestic use, knowledge on water quality and water purification techniques from 60 rural households heads with the aid of interview schedule. Data were analysed with the use of percentage, frequency count and mean. Result showed that 55.0% of the respondents were female with mean age of 48 years and average household size of 4 persons. Result further showed that most (73.3%) of the respondents were married while 33.3% had secondary education. About 91.7% and 75% sourced their drinking water from community borehole and streams respectively. The overall score on knowledge showed that 100.0% of the respondents had high knowledge of water quality parameter for drinking purpose. The result further showed that 53.3% and 58.3% made use of boiling and alum as means of water purification prior to drinking. The study concluded that the rural households in the study area had high knowledge of water quality which also reflected in their water purification technique. It is recommended that water from stream, river, well and borehole should always be treated before consumption to avoid drinking contaminated water.