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Evaluations of studies on occurrences of diseases from developing countries have indicated that a dominant proportion of the diseases are water-related. The present study was focused on determining the potential vulnerability of urban dwellers in Nigeria to water-borne diseases. The main objective was to assess the suitability of rain and groundwater sources in Ado-Ekiti, a typical urban area in southwest Nigeria for domestic consumption, as being practiced. Rainwater and groundwater (hand dug wells and machine drilled boreholes) samples were collected from locations across the town, and were analysed for relevant physical and chemical characteristics, including pH, water temperature, conductivity, major ions and heavy metals in the laboratory. Data were subsequently interpreted using relevant geo-statistics methods. Results showed that rainwater in the area was dominated (in absolute weight) by Cl-, CO - and Ca2+. The groundwater sources 3 were generally characterized by weak acidity to almost neutral pH (5.8-7.8). Most of the investigated
chemical parameters also occurred in significantly higher (p<0.05) concentrations in the hand dug wells than in the borehole. The quality assessment indicated that the concentration of Cl- in the hand dug wells and boreholes as well as Mn in the rainwater exceeded the acceptable statutory limit for domestic use. The study concluded that quality of rain and ground water samples in the study area was below the standard recommendation for domestic use in the area.