Climate Change and Drinking Water Safety in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Climate change is altering the way water behaves in the Niger Delta, and drinking-water safety is increasingly vulnerable. This study examined climate change and drinking water safety in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. The objectives were to examine the indicators of climate change as perceived by residents, to assess the level of drinking water safety, and to determine the effect of climate change on drinking water safety. The Pressure and Release model guided the work, and a descriptive survey design was adopted. A structured questionnaire built on a five-point Likert scale was administered to 150 residents, and the data were analysed with percentages, mean, median, mode, one-sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation. The results show that residents clearly notice climate change through heavier rainfall, longer floods and rising river levels (grand mean = 4.11). Drinking water safety was rated low (unsafe-condition index = 3.80), with river water rated least safe. Residents also agreed that flooding and heavy rain make their water dirtier and that sickness rises in the rainy season (grand mean = 3.97). All three null hypotheses were rejected at the 0.05 level, and climate change perception was strongly related to water safety concerns (r = 0.72). The study concludes that climate change is a real threat to safe drinking water in Amassoma and recommends protected water sources, safer sanitation, home treatment of water and flood-ready planning.