Abstract:
The main issue in developing countries continues to be access to high-quality, safe water, which
is still a critical indicator of a community's improved social and economic well-being. The
purpose of this study is to assess the causes and consequence of shortage of water supply in
Babile town. Consequently, the study employed a descriptive survey research design whereby
both quantitative and qualitative method. To achieve the objective of the study a total of 242
sample respondents were selected using systematic random sampling techniques from the sample
kebeles in the study area. Consequently, data were collected from both primary and secondary
sources, whereby household survey questionnaire, key informants’ interview, observation and
document analysis were used as data collection tools. The data collected through the
questionnaire were coded, entered and analyzed with the help of SPSS-version 20. The data
collected through different methods were properly analyzed using descriptive statistics and T-test
model. The data collected through key informant interview, focus group discussion and
observation was analyzed qualitatively using narration for triangulation. The results indicated
that the majority of households in the study area are not satisfied with domestic water supply of
the town. Furthermore, the result of the study showed that, the source of domestic water
consumption for most of the sample respondents were water venders and hand-dag well with low
quality but high cost from long distances. The domestic water supply challenges include
inadequate access to pipe water, inefficient pipelines and frequent interruptions in the area due
to different reasons and the absence of pipe line connection to the home. Among the major causes
of the challenge; population growth, lack of material, decrease of water source, poor distribution
of water infrastructure, lack of technological capacity, weak sectorial coordination, and
insufficient financial resource are some of the main undermining root causes. Generally, Water
consumption of the households was affected by economic level, distance from water source and
time needed for water collection
