Household Water Sources, Accessibility and Consumption Patterns in Selected Rural Communities of Taraba State, Nigeria

Rural water insecurity remains a persistent development challenge in Nigeria, particularly in communities with limited access to reliable water infrastructure. This study assessed water supply, household water consumption patterns, and factors influencing water use in ten rural communities of Taraba State, northeastern Nigeria. The communities were purposively selected based on their rural characteristics and varying access to functional water infrastructure, after which households were sampled systematically. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted among 500 respondents, producing allocations ranging from 40 to 62 respondents in each community. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results showed that rivers and streams were the principal sources of domestic water (39.0%), followed by rainwater harvesting (34.0%) and hand-dug wells (23.4%), while only 3.6% of households used private or public boreholes. Distance to water source, collection time, and water cost were negatively associated with household water consumption, whereas household income and household size showed positive associations. The regression model explained 53.4% of the variation in household water consumption (adjusted R² = 0.529; p < 0.001). Distance to the water source had the largest absolute standardised regression coefficient in the reported model (β = −0.396). However, distance, collection time, income and other categorical or range-based variables were represented using numerical codes for ordered categories; therefore, coefficients should be interpreted as associations with coded categories rather than necessarily as effects per continuous unit. The findings highlight physical accessibility, affordability and socioeconomic conditions as important dimensions of rural water insecurity and underscore the need for improved water infrastructure and maintenance.