Comparative Analysis of Optimum Maintenance Cost for Water Boreholes in South-Eastern Nigeria

Aims: This study considered the optimal maintenance cost of water boreholes for a multiple pumping scenario in South-East Nigeria. The objective of the study was to determine the optimal maintenance cost of water boreholes for the Southeastern region of Nigeria.

Place and Duration of Study: The data used in this study is secondary data obtained from selected community and commercial boreholes in the Abia State, Anambra State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State and Imo State.

Methodology: The linear model and the quadratic model were used to determine the cost parameters for the optimization of the maintenance cost of the water boreholes.

Results: The result of the study showed that the maintenance cost obtained for Anambra State is more adequate than the other states since it recorded a higher coefficient of determination value using the linear and quadratic model. Also, it was found the quadratic model was better than the linear model for the estimation of cost parameters used for determining the optimum maintenance cost of water boreholes in South-East Nigeria. The findings showed that the quadratic model recorded the best net savings for Abia, Anambra, and Enugu with the corresponding cost of ₦4,079,246.817, ₦5,198,716.141, and ₦4,767,680.392 respectively. It was found that the linear model recorded the best net savings for Ebonyi and Imo with the corresponding cost of ₦1,593,013.72 and ₦8,692,452.91 respectively. Hence, the quadratic models was identified as the best model for the estimation of cost parameters and enhance the performance of the optimal total operating cost of the water borehole model in South-East Nigeria.

Conclusion: The study concludes by recommending the quadratic model for the estimation of cost parameters for the optimization of maintenance cost of water boreholes until further studies prove otherwise.