ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF RAVINE DEGRADATION ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NSUKARA OFFOT IN UYO LGA, AKWA IBOM STATE

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Ravine degradation is one of the major environmental threats throughout the world and affects multiple soils and land functions. There is ample physical evidence of severe gully erosion occurring in different parts of the world. Gullies are one of the few sources of morphological evidence in the landscape showing the intensity of soil erosion in the area, reflecting the impact of environmental change (especially due to interactions between geomorphological features, changes in land use, and extreme climatic events). The impacts of ravine erosion in Akwa Ibom State, Uyo in particular are enormous and are still creating a lot of menace ranging from loss of farmlands and properties, a threat to vegetation, effect on life among others. This paper discusses the use of space-based techniques to assess the impact of ravine erosion and its effects on socio-economic development of Nsukara Offot in Uyo L.G.A. In the study, the shapefile of Uyo was used to clip the study area from Landsat 8 (2018) in a GIS environment, the extracted images were processed using ArcGIS 10.4, Likelihood classification was carried out for 3 spectral bands corresponding to Band 5, Band 4 and Band 3 combination Near infrared, red, and green (NIR, R, G). Spot 5 Image was also used to identify the interesting features in the area that is valuable for this research work. The features digitized were Built-up areas, Ravine, and Roads. The ArcGIS software version 10.4 was used to buffer the distance from the ravine to the different structures, other facilities, and one of the major roads in the area. Results from the field observations and measurements showed that the width of the ravine is 8m, depth is 13m while the length is about 100m. The distance of the ravine from the nearest building which is Ray Field International Secondary School, Uyo is 10m away from the school gate and 5m from the road. This shows a rapid encroachment to the facility and poses a hazard to both human and infrastructure. The study shows that the ravine occurred as a result of inappropriate channeling of water runoff in unprotected land thereby washing away the soil along the drainage line. GIS is a valuable tool in monitoring morphology while the results of the study can be used for planning for further monitoring, gully erosion control, and management.