Abstract:
This study examined household water use intensity in theface ofthe current fight against COVID-19 among
residents of Jos North Local Government Area. Plateau State, Nigeria. The study used both primary and
secondary data. Structured questionnaire was administered on 180 household heads systematically across
the selected four wards in Jos Town. While secondary data were extracted from maps and published
materials. Descriptive analytical technique was applied in the study. The study revealed that 51.7% used
above 5Iltr/capita/day of water during CO VID-19 and 48.9% used between 21-30ltrs/capita/day before
the pandemic. There was a marked increase in water use among households in the area during CO VID-19
pandemic as against the usage before COVID-19 outbreaks. The study also showed that major water use
areas with higher intensity are hand washing, bathing and cloth washing with use for cooking, gardening
and mopping increasing very slightly. Majority of households depended on well (53.3%), bore hole (19.4%)
while 17.8% of the respondents relied on pipe borne water source. The study concluded that due to the
fixity of water supply capacity in the area and with the increased water use in the face of the lingering
pandemic, water supply capacity should be scaled up through the State Water Agency to supply more
potable water to the residents in the area.
