authors
Godwin Boniface, Joshua Benson Nadiyasu and Amina Bala

abstract
This study utilized the five pillars of water security to determine the effectiveness of informal water vending in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. The strategic importance of safe, sustainable water supply system especial in Sub Saharan region today cannot be over emphasized. All efforts to achieve water security are yet to produce the desired results, hence the existence of private water vending. The study used cross sectional survey by collecting primary data from the total of six hundred and thirty-one respondents through structured instrument and deployed the use of Graded Item Response Theory (GIRS) to gauge the effectiveness of water vending in meeting the need of the poor urban households within the study area. It was established among other things that, significant population of the urban poor within Kano metropolis rely on small-scale private water in meeting their water demand. Furthermore, the findings established that the water vendors are effective in meeting the water needs of the sampled population. However, available water supply was reported to be grossly inadequate and this was attributed to the price of water charged. Therefore, we inter alia recommend that government should formally recognize private water vending by integrating it into national and state policies. Furthermore, beside the need for proper regulations on water vending, there is also the need for more budgetary allocation by both Federal and State Ministries of Water Resources in order to address the huge public water supply deficit identified in the state.