Cooking and Lighting Fuels Clusters in Katsina: Progression of Vulnerability Dread on Households

Abstract

PAR model for disaster management has awakened researchers to join the race particularly in natural occurrences. It ponders disaster as the product of processes generating vulnerability and the natural hazard events however, it is obvious that disaster crop up as a result of human demographic composition resulting to households being at risk. This research hence, evaluates the progression of vulnerability. Cooking and lighting fuel used were sourced from population and housing census Nigeria. Location quotient was used to ascertain spatial concentration. The progression of vulnerability evaluated indicates forces of political instability, corruption and lack of basic infrastructures, being the causes of inadequate provision of cooking and lighting fuels in Katsina state. There is high spatial clustering of Gas LQ 2.45 and Electricity LQ 1.46. This implies high degree of vulnerability to gas explosions fire outbreak and electric sparks. The common lighting fuel is kerosene LQ 1.14 using bush lamps, this cause pervasive living in darkness by the households and trail connected insecurities that guaranteed vulnerability. This research has implication in disaster management, crime prevention and good literature in the academia. We recommend GIS pattern analysis, enactment of legislations for indiscriminate felling of trees and the need for alternative sources such as provision of steady electricity for safe cooking and lighting.