Abstract
Abstract. The study examines the interplay among water resources, hydropower generation and agricultural landuse at the Shiroro hydropower station and its environs, in north-central Nigeria. Non-parametric trend analysis, hydropower footprint estimation, reservoir performance analysis, change detection analysis, and inferential statistics were combined to study the water-energy and food security nexus. Results of Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator for the period 1960 to 2013 showed a declining rainfall trend at Jos, around River Kaduna headwaters at −2.6 mm yr−1, while rainfall at Kaduna and Minna upstream and downstream of the reservoir respectively showed no trend. Estimates of hydropower footprint varied between 130.4 and 704.1 m3 GJ−1 between 1995 and 2013. Power generation reliability and resilience of the reservoir was 31.6 and 38.5 % respectively with year 2011 being the most vulnerable and least satisfactory. In addition to poor reliability and resilience indices, other challenges militating against good performance of hydropower generation includes population growth and climate change issues as exemplified in the downward trend observed at the headwaters. Water inflow and power generation shows a weak positive relationship with correlation coefficient (r) of 0.48, indicating less than optimal power generation. Total area of land cultivated increased from 884.59 km2 in 1986 prior to the commissioning of the hydropower station to 1730.83 km2 in 2016 which signifies an increased contribution of the dam to ensuring food security. The reality of reducing upstream rainfall amount coupled with high water footprint of electricity from the reservoir, therefore requires that a long term roadmap to improve operational coordination and management have to be put in place.
Highlights
The interdependence of water, food and energy are widely recognised as important drivers of socioeconomic development. The importance of these natural resources are embedded in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2, 6, 7 (UN SDG Report, 2016; ICSU-ISSC, 2015)
High inter-annual variability and marked seasonality of rainfall, coupled with episodes of streamflow drought, have often resulted in reduced power production of hydropower stations in the country owing to low gauge height level, while excessive rainfall sometimes results in downstream flooding with dire consequences especially for the cultivated lands
The result of the Sen’s slope estimator (Q) indicates a statistically significant downward trend at a declining rate of −2.6 mm yr−1. This shows that rainfall around the headwaters of River Kaduna at Kangimi Hills in the Jos Plateau has been experiencing a declining trend
Summary
The interdependence of water, food and energy are widely recognised as important drivers of socioeconomic development. The importance of these natural resources are embedded in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2, 6, 7 (UN SDG Report, 2016; ICSU-ISSC, 2015). With Nigeria’s population expected to increase to 262, 599 000 by 2030 (UNDESA, 2015), the country faces a great challenge of meeting these goals. High inter-annual variability and marked seasonality of rainfall, coupled with episodes of streamflow drought, have often resulted in reduced power production of hydropower stations in the country owing to low gauge height level, while excessive rainfall sometimes results in downstream flooding with dire consequences especially for the cultivated lands
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