Assessing Poor Water and Sanitary Infrastructure and the Plight of Low-Income Urban Dwellers Across Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Rapid urbanization in Osogbo, capital of Osun State, Nigeria, has outpaced water supply, drainage, wastewater, and sanitation infrastructure, placing a disproportionate burden on lower-income residents. This study examines the economic impact of these deficiencies across four urban neighborhoods Oke-Baale, Igbona, Alekuwodo, and Odi-Olowo focusing on waterborne disease healthcare costs, flooding-related workday and school-day losses, and water/sanitation quality issues. Between November 2024 and January 2025, researchers surveyed 612 households (targeting 150 per neighborhood), applying a Loss Index using min-max transformation similar to the WEF Global Competitiveness Index methodology. Findings show water quality, drainage, and flooding are the top challenges, in that order. Odi-Olowo has the most inadequate sanitation services (22.8%) and the highest Loss Index score (38.6), while Oke-Baale is least inadequate (18.4). A 1% decline in sanitary quality is associated with a 1.4% rise in household medical expenditure, 0.7% increase in lost workdays, and 0.5% increase in lost school days. Women bear a disproportionate burden: 51% attributed health problems to WASH conditions, and 29% lost productive time to water collection. Limitations include reliance on self-reported, 12-month recall data, exclusion of publicly funded hospital expenditures (suggesting underestimated societal costs), and the need for longitudinal data to strengthen causal claims. Despite these limitations, the study concludes that long-term savings in medical expenditures substantially exceed upfront infrastructure investment costs. It recommends prioritizing sanitation and drainage improvements, particularly in Odi-Olowo, as a cost-effective preventive healthcare and urban development strategy, alongside longitudinal monitoring to better capture causal impacts over time.