Prospect of Urban Water Supply in Jalingo Metropolis, Taraba State Nigeria

Urban water supply have been one of the major challenges facing residents of Jalingo Metropolis over the years. Taraba State Government in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) has recently embarked on massive investment in urban water supply in Jalingo Metropolis. The project is aimed at providing water to the citizenry and galvanizing commercial activities in the State. This study examines the various water resource potentials available to the town and the prospect of harnessing these resources and the challenges associated with each of the options. The study relied substantially on existing data sources, fieldwork and discussion with experts and consultants working on the projects. The collected data and information were analyzed using descriptive statistics.  The findings of the study shows that the existing Jalingo Water Supply System relied on open well field consisting of 14 boreholes out of which 4 boreholes are currently operational and 10 are non operational. The findings shows that the water supply to Jalingo town does not have any form of treatment and no provision is made at the moment to disinfect the borehole water which is distributed to the public at the moment. Storm water runoff from Jalingo township discharges into the borehole field (Jalingo Master Plan, 2000) thereby constituting potential hazard as aquifers are susceptible to contamination particularly during the rainy season. At the moment only 30% of the Jalingo town’s water requirements are met. The findings of the study shows that the water resource options in Jalingo Metropolis include the abstraction of ground water through drilling of boreholes, construction of infiltration gallery and construction of dam across River Lamurde. Although, urban water supply prospect in the town is high, none of the options can generate sufficient amount of water supply to the town in the nearest future. This study therefore recommends the need to consider the development of all these water resource options in the study area to complement each other.