WORLD WATER MONITORING DAY 2009

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World Water Monitoring Day

INTRODUCTION

We know all of us need clean drinking water in order to live. But our rivers lakes and freshwater ecosystems provide us much more. They water our crops, give us fish to eat, power our factories, light our homes, carry our goods to market and our people back home, and bring us aesthetic joy. The UN estimates that in the year 2017, close to 70 percent of the global population will have problems accessing fresh water. Therefore we need to preserve our watershed and clean water sources by protecting the health of lands and forests around our rivers and lakes – the watershed keep pollution out of our water. Keeping rivers flowing in healthy ways. We can preserve the benefits that rivers give us by preserving the patterns of its high and low flow that orchestrate life in and along rivers Banks. This programme is been package as part of practical solutions – and new approach that can help us work together to strike a balance between meeting our water needs today and preserving nature’s ability to continue meeting the needs in the future..

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Essence of water for life

Let’s turn our bible book of john 4:5-14. In this verse we can deduce that Jesus Christ also value the importance of water to life when he spoke of the fountain of water that have symbolic of everlasting life, in a literal sense water is essential to life, being second to oxygen in this regards.

One can survive for weeks without food but only about five days without water. Up to three quarter of our body weight is made up of water. For example our brain is about 75 % water. Water helps us to digest and absorb our food, carrying nutrient to our body cells. Water remove toxin and other waste, lubricates our joint and colour regulates body temperature. Drinking enough water can also help those who wanted to reduce their weight.

Water has no calories, is fat free, cholesterol free and low sodium, second it is appetite suppressant. Third water helps the body to metabolise fat. According to nutritionist proper intake of water is a key to weight loss. If people who are trying to lose weight drink enough water their body can metabolise the fat adequately.

Each day our body eliminate an average of about 2 litres of water though our skin, lungs, intestine and kidney. We lose approximately 1/2 litre of liquid every day just by exhaling. According to medical doctors, if this water is not replaced, we will become dehydrated. `According to medical doctors the sign of dehydration are headache, fatigue, muscle soreness, dark urine, heat intolerance and dry mouth/eye`.

According to specialist healthy person needs up to 8-10 quarter litres of glass every day, you need more if you exercise a lot especially we in the hot climate. Please Take a glass before going to bed and one after you wake up in the morning

Eng. Dennis Okoro

Five Steps to Water Conservation

A variety of practices and technologies—from the low-tech to the high-tech—can help stretch limited water supplies. Here are just a few:

Improperly aimed sprinklers waste water
by allowing it to run off onto sidewalks and
into storm drains. Image courtesy of
City of Santa Cruz Water Department.

Xeriscape

Drought-resistant plants reduce
the need for watering.

Reduce leaks. From the individual household faucet or toilet to municipal water distribution pipes, repairing or replacing leaking water infrastructure can save water— and money.
Install low-flow fixtures. Water-conserving toilets, showerheads, and faucets, which are now required by building code in many areas, can reduce domestic water use by 50 percent or more.
Change water-wasting habits at home. Small habit changes such as running the dishwasher or washing machine only for full loads or taking shorter showers can, over time, mean big water savings.
Use water-saving landscaping techniques. Some primary water-conserving landscaping techniques (also known as xeriscape landscape principles) include grouping plants with similar water needs together, limiting water-guzzling lawns, using drought-tolerant plants, and irrigating efficiently.
Irrigate crops more efficiently. Conserving the amount of water used to irrigate crops benefits everyone: farmers spend less money on water, and more water is available for other purposes. Advanced techniques can help farmers monitor the precise level of moisture in soil and alter their irrigation practices to limit overall water use. In an approach called deficit irrigation, for example, irrigation is reduced at noncritical times but crops are properly watered at critical flowering and fruiting stages.

OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVES of WWMD2009 is to create awareness and foster integration approach to watershed and biodiversity protection by collaborare with governments, communities, development partners and the private sector, to help improve the management and protection of watersheds and secure the water resources on which our present and future development depend.

Specifically, CECD fresh water network is working to:

Protecting freshwater watersheds and its biodiversity in the Niger Delta
Provide practices that promote responsible water environmet stewardship by protect forests,and enhance freshwater ecosystems.
Campaign for innovative water funds that can help finance the protection of watersheds which supply drinking water to our cities.
Campaign to substantially increase funding for existing designated protected area of Forest reservation
These efforts require the integration of watershed and biodiversity protection in the policies, laws, and regulations as well as strengthening institutions that responsible for forest reservation and watershed manag
Creating new protected areas in the Niger Delta with a rainforest and freshwater focus
ement. Which is the bases for WWMD2009

NIGERIA WATER PROFILE

Geography, Climate, and Population

Nigeria is located in the tropical zone of West Africa between latitudes 4°N and 14°N and longitudes 2°2′E and 14°30′E and has a total area of 923,770 square kilometers (km²). The country’s north-south extent is about 1,050 km and its maximum east-west extent is about 1,150 km. Nigeria is bordered to the west by Benin, to the northwest and north by Niger, to the northeast by Chad and to the east by Cameroon, while the Atlantic Ocean forms the southern limits of Nigerian territory. Land cover ranges from thick mangrove forests and dense rain forests in the south to a near-desert condition in the northeastern corner of the country.

Three broad ecological zones are commonly distinguished in the country: i) The northern Sudan Savanna; ii) The Guinea Savanna zone or Middle Belt; and iii) The southern rainforest zone. Based on rainfall and temperature the county is divided into eight agro-ecological zones. In Table 1 these zones are presented in a north-south succession, except the mountainous zone which is found at the border with Cameroon and the plateau zone in the center of the country.

Map of Nigeria. (Source: FAO)

The climate is semi-arid in the north and humid in the south. Except for an ultra-humid strip along the coast with rainfall averages of over 2,000 millimeters pear year (mm/year), where it rains almost all year round, rainfall patterns are marked by distinct wet and dry seasons. Rainfall is concentrated in the period June-September. Deficiency in total annual precipitation is a problem in parts of the country, particularly in the northern parts. In most other areas, however, the major problems are the distribution in time and space and the low dependability of rainfall. Mean annual rainfall over the whole country is estimated at 1,150 mm. It is about 1,000 mm in the center of the country and 500 mm in the northeast. Mean annual pan evaporation is 2,450 mm in the southeast, 2,620 mm in the center and 5,220 mm in the north of the country.

Total cultivable area is estimated at 61 million hectares (ha), which is 66 percent of the total area of the country. In 2002, the cultivated area was 33 million ha, of which arable land covered 30.2 million ha and permanent crops 2.8 million ha (Table 2). About two-thirds of the cropped area is in the north, with the rest about equally distributed between the Middle Belt and the south.

Table 1. Agro-ecological zones in Nigeria
Zone description	Percentage of country area	Annual rainfall	Monthly temperature
Zone description	Percentage of country area	Annual rainfall	Maximum	Normal	Minimum
	(%)	(mm)	(°C)	(°C)	(°C)
Semi-arid	4	400-600	13	32-33	40
Dry sub-humid	27	600-1,000	12	21-31	49
Sub-humid	26	1,000-1,300	14	23-30	37
Humid	21	1,100-1,400	18	26-30	37
Very humid	14	1,120-2,000	21	24-28	37
Ultra humid (flood)	2	› 2,000	23	25-28	33
Mountainous	4	1,400-2,000	5	14-29	32
Plateau	2	1,400-1,500	14	20-24	36

Table 2. Basic statistics and population. (Source: FAO)

Nigeria is by far the most populous country in Africa, with its 127 million people accounting for about one-seventh of the total population of Africa’s 53 countries (2004). Population density is 138 inhabitants/km², annual growth rate is 2.2 percent and 52 percent of the population is rural. In 2002, 60 percent of the total population was using improved drinking water sources, with 72 percent in urban areas and 49 percent in rural areas (Table 2).

Poverty worsened during the 1980s and 1990s, with more than 35 percent of the population living below the US$1/day poverty level in 2001. Real income and consumption per capita are as low as at independence 40 years ago. Poverty is particularly widespread in rural areas, where 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. More than 5 percent of the rural population is affected by HIV/AIDS and more than 50 million Nigerians suffer from a combination of diseases of protein-energy malnutrition. The social and economic consequences of this pandemic and malnutrition are felt widely, not only in the health subsector, but also in education, agriculture, services, and human resources.

Economy, Agriculture, and Food Security

Nigeria’s economy is highly dependent on oil revenues, which account for about 90 percent of total exports and for about 70 percent of government revenues. The country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2003 was estimated at US$50.2 billion, and in 2002 the contribution from agriculture was 37.4 percent, with about 90 percent of the agricultural output coming from the smallholder sector. Agriculture provides occupation for 30 percent of the economically active population. Thirty eight percent of agricultural workers are female.

Nigeria is listed by FAO among those nations that are at the moment technically unable to meet their food needs from rainfed production at a low level of inputs and appear likely to remain so even at intermediate levels of inputs at some points in time between 2000 and 2025. Farming systems are mainly smallholder-based and agricultural landholdings are scattered. Simple, low-input technology is employed, resulting in low-output labor productivity. Typical farm sizes range from 0.5 ha in the densely populated high-rainfall south to 4 ha in the dry north.

Nigeria’s wide range of agro-ecological zones allows for a diversity of crop production activities:

The dry northern savanna is suitable for sorghum, millet, maize, groundnuts, and cotton; sorghum and millet are the most important crops
In the Middle Belt and south the main food crops are cassava, yam, plantain, maize, and sorghum
In the south, the main cash crops are oil palm, cocoa, and rubber
Low-lying and seasonally flooded areas are increasingly producing rice

Water Resources and Use

Water Resources

The country is well drained with a close network of rivers and streams. Some of these, particularly the smaller ones in the north, are seasonal. There are four principal surface water basins in Nigeria:

The Niger Basin has an area of 584,193 km² within the country, which is 63 percent of the total area of the country, and covers a large area in central and northwestern Nigeria. The most important rivers in the basin are the Niger and its tributaries Benue, Sokoto, and Kaduna.
The Lake Chad Basin in the northeast with an area of 179,282 km², or 20 percent of the total area of the country, is the only internal drainage basin in Nigeria. Important rivers are the Komadougou Yobe and its tributaries Hadejia, Jama’are, and Komadougou Gena.
The southwestern littoral basins have an area of 101,802 km², which is 11 percent of the total area of the country. The rivers originate in the hilly areas to the south and west of the Niger River.
The southeastern littoral basins, with the major watercourses being the Cross and Imo Rivers, have an area of 58,493 km², which is six percent of the total area of the country, and receive much of their runoff from the plateau and mountain areas along the Cameroon border.

Nigeria has extensive groundwater resources, located in eight recognized hydrogeological areas together with local groundwater in shallow alluvial (fadama) aquifers adjacent to major rivers:

The Sokoto Basin Zone comprises sedimentary rocks in northwest Nigeria. Yields range from below 1.0 to 5.0 liter per second (L/s).
The Chad Basin Zone comprises sedimentary rocks. There are three distinct aquifer zones: Upper, Middle, Lower. Borehole yields are about 1.2 to 1.6 L/s from the Upper unconfined aquifer and 1.5 to 2.1 L/s from the Middle aquifer.
The Middle Niger Basin Zone comprises sandstone aquifers yielding between 0.7 and 5.0 L/s and the Alluvium in the Niger Valley yielding between 7.5 and 37.0 L/s.
The Benue Basin Zone is the least exploited basin in Nigeria extending from the Cameroon border to the Niger-Benue confluence. The sandstone aquifers in the area yield between 1.0 and 8.0 L/s.
The Southwestern Zone comprises sedimentary rocks bounded in the south by the coastal Alluvium and in the north by the Basement Complex.
The South-Central Zone is made up of Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments centred on the Niger Delta. Yields are from 3.0 to 7.0 L/s.
The Southeastern Zone comprises Cretaceous sediments in the Anambra and Cross River basins. Borehole numbers are low due to abundant surface water resources.
The Basement Complex comprises over 60 percent of the country’s area. It consists of low permeability rocks and groundwater occurs in the weathered mantle and fracture zones with yields of between 1.0 and 2.0 L/s.

Lake Chad is an important wetland lying in the semi-arid Sahel corridor. With a mean depth of 3.9 meters (m), its surface area is highly variable, ranging from a minimum of 2,000 km² in 1907 to a maximum of 22,000 km² in 1961.

Low-lying areas flooded during the wet season, known as fadama areas, are scattered across the ecological zones of Guinea Savanna, Sudan Savanna, and the Sahel. These diverse wetlands are valuable for grazing, agriculture, and other domestic uses, and are deemed of international importance as breeding grounds for migratory birds, thereby having a global value for biodiversity.

Nigeria’s total annual renewable water resources are estimated at 286.2 km³ (Table 3). Annual internally produced resources amount to 221 cubic kilometers (km³), made up of 214 km³ surface water and 87 km³ groundwater, while 80 km³ of the latter is assumed to be overlap between surface water and groundwater. External water resources are estimated at 65.2 km³/year, being surface water coming from Niger, Cameroon, and Benin. Exploitable surface water resources are estimated to be 80 percent of the natural flow, which is about 96 km³/year. Annual extractable groundwater resources are about 59.51 km³, distributed as follows: 10.27 km³ in northern Nigeria; 25.48 km³ in the Middle Belt; 23.76 km³ in the south. Dam capacity is estimated to be 44.2 km³.

Water Use

Figure 1. Water withdrawal. (Source: FAO)

Total annual water withdrawal was estimated at 8 km³ for the year 2000. Agriculture was the biggest water user with 5.5 km³, or 69 percent of the total water withdrawal, followed by the domestic sector with about 1.7 km³ (21 percent) and industry with 0.8 km³ (10 percent) (Table 3 and Figure 1).

International Water Issues

Nigeria is a member of two regional authorities dealing with the management of shared water resources:

The Niger Basin Authority (NBA) was formed in 1964 and is made up of the nine countries that share the Niger Basin (Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon). The principal aim of the authority is to ensure the integrated development of the basin.
The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) comprises representatives of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. Its objective is to ensure a rational and equitable development of natural resources, including water, of the Lake Chad Region.

In addition, Niger and Nigeria by signing the Maiduguri Agreement in 1990 have established a joint commission to monitor and assess development options, in particular water resources development, in the four major sub-basins common to the two countries. However, the implementation of the Agreement has been ineffective so far.

Irrigation and Drainage Development

Evolution of Irrigation Development

Irrigation potential estimates in Nigeria vary from 1.5 to 3.2 million ha. The latest estimate gives a total of about 2.1 million ha, of which about 1.6 million are from surface water and 0.5 million ha from groundwater. However, as far as groundwater is concerned, it should be mentioned that while the extractable water resources are sufficient for up to 0.5 million ha in the north of Nigeria, areas suitable for irrigation with groundwater have, as yet, not been assessed. Areas with irrigation potential using surface water are given in Table 4.

Table 4. Irrigation potential using surface water
Zone	Uplands	River valleys	Inland swamps	Delta swamps	Total
	(ha)	(ha)	(ha)	(ha)	(ha)	%
North	343,000	578,500	154,100	-	1,075,600	68
Middle Belt	82,000	28,000	28,000	-	138,000	9
South	180,000	11,000	93,400	78,000	362,400	23
Total (ha)	605,000	617,500	275,500	78.0	1,576,000	100
%	38	39	18	5	100

Figure 2. Structure of the irrigation sub-sector in Nigeria in 2004. (Source: FAO)

During the oil boom of the 1970s, an investment program in support of public irrigation was launched. Public irrigation in the Nigerian context means schemes run either by River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) or by the States (Figure 2). The program included the construction of large dams and pumping stations, especially in the drier northern part of the country. By 1990, 162 dams had been constructed with a total storage capacity sufficient to irrigate 725,000 ha if developed. Many of these dams, however, were built with little or no infrastructure and the sites chosen do not always have sufficient irrigable areas close by. The schemes that were developed have not been brought into production fully or they have been implemented with inappropriate infrastructure. By 2004, only about 20 percent of the area planned for public sector irrigation had been developed and only 32 percent of the developed area was being irrigated.

The poor utilization of the developed irrigation area in the public irrigation sector can be attributed to a number of factors including: i) the lack of a coherent irrigation subsector development policy and strategy; ii) insufficient attention to management systems; iii) inadequate funding (including poor cost recovery); iv) high capital and operating costs; v) inadequate farm support services; vi) poor operation, repair and maintenance; vii) a low level of project ownership acceptance by the direct beneficiaries; and viii) uncertain financial and economic viability. Because of these lapses, a number of schemes have already deteriorated badly and are in urgent need of major renovation and repair, less than 20 years after their construction.

Table 5. Irrigation and drainage. (Source: