Abstract
River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) in Nigeria were established since 1976 and they operate mechanized and capital intensive programmes. All the 12 RBDAs operate as separate Authorities, each with separate administrative and operational autonomy, but sharing the Basin Resources of the 8 Hydrological Areas. However, their performance was generally described as disappointing. This study first reviewed the existing organization of the 12 RBDAs in Nigeria. Thereafter, one of the 8 Hydrological Areas – the Komadugu-Yobe Basin (KYB) – which is the major inland drainage system in Nigeria was purposely selected for detailed study. Information on its major streams, tributaries and the main river; the hydrological area as well as the RBDAs sharing resources of the basin area, was gathered using ArcGIS version 10.0 and Erdas Imagine 9.2 software, as well as topographical and hydrological maps. This was processed and analyzed based on the principles of Stream Ordering and Logical Framework Analysis. The findings revealed that in establishing the RBDAs, basin-wide consideration of their sphere of operation was not taken into account. Dams were constructed before establishing the RBDAs. Runoff waters and spill ways were poorly controlled leading to flooding during rainy season and reduced water supply downstream during dry season, with serious environmental and socio-economic problems in the basin area. It was concluded that the RBDAs in Nigeria were poorly organized and have consequently failed to accelerate agricultural and rural development, and have also failed to boost food and industrial crop production as expected. The need was established for effective organization of River Basin Development and Management to improve their performance. To achieve this, a Conceptual framework for Integrated River Basin Development and Management was developed for adoption by river basin managers and other relevant stakeholders in Nigeria and around the globe to improve performance.
Highlights
A river basin offers important natural resource base for the provision of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses, and invariably facilitate the development of hydro-electric power, inland water transport, large scale irrigation farming, fishing, site attraction, as well as diversion of water for augmentation action to areas of shortage, (Gana et al, 2018)
The existing organization of the 12 River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) in Nigeria was reviewed with reference to international best practices and standards such as the Principles of Stream Ordering and Logical Framework Analysis
This study focused on the Komadugu – Yobe Basin (KYB) as microcosm of the organization for River Basin Development and Management in Nigeria
Summary
A river basin offers important natural resource base for the provision of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses, and invariably facilitate the development of hydro-electric power, inland water transport, large scale irrigation farming, fishing, site attraction, as well as diversion of water for augmentation action to areas of shortage, (Gana et al, 2018). They are the paramount source of water for households, agriculture and industry, and fulfil many non-consumptive uses. Many countries, including Nigeria, have made efforts to harness the resource potentials in river basins in their areas to facilitate the development process. Different strategies were used to achieve desired objectives. The degree of successes realized differed from country to country, depending on the effectiveness of the strategies employed
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