Complementing Water Supply through Rainwater Harvesting in Some Selected Villages of Sahel Savannah Ecological Zone in Borno State Northeastern Nigeria

Abstract

One of the greatest environmental challenges that confront rural communities in Nigeria especially in Borno state is scarcity of water supply. Rainwater harvesting can reduce over dependence on centralized piped water supply and checkmate climate change. This study in two rural communities determined the water per capita use, examined water sources and then estimated the amount of rainwater that can be harvested by households in these villages. The villages are Kukurpu and Yelwa Bam in Hawul local government area of Borno state Nigeria. The choice of the villages is justified on the basis of their location in the semi-arid region of the Sahel ecological zone with lesser rainfall compared to other parts in the region. Lack of adequate access to water supply is precursor to water related diseases and challenge to sustainable development. This study used scheduled interview with households and 100 household were surveyed using simple random sampling. In each of the village, 50 observations were made Results revealed that 87% of the households rely water from hand dug wells, ephemeral streams and boreholes equipped with manual hand pumps that are susceptible to drought and frequent breakdown. Borno state where the villages are located had a mean annual rainfall of 860 mm from 1980 to 2009; however, the annual rainwater harvesting potential was put at 51.21 m3. Although over 80% are aware of rainwater harvesting practices only 2% of households harvest rainwater due to the seasonality of rain-fall coupled with inadequate water storage facilities. There is therefore the need to embark on massive rainwater harvesting with corresponding water reservoir as a way to reduce the effects of the five months dry spell experienced in the region.

Share and Cite:

H. Ishaku, A. Abayomi, A. Sahabo and F. Dama, "Complementing Water Supply through Rainwater Harvesting in Some Selected Villages of Sahel Savannah Ecological Zone in Borno State Northeastern Nigeria," Journal of Water Resource and Protection, Vol. 5 No. 2, 2013, pp. 200-207. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2013.52021.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] I. Shiklomanov, “Water in Crisis: A Guide to World’s Fresh Water Resources,” In: P. H. Gleick, Ed., Oxford University Press, New York, 1993. http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl http://gov/watercycle.jpg&imgrefurl http://water.usgs.bov/watercyclele hi.html&1
[2] UN, “Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Re- sources of the World,” Commission on Sustainable Development, New York, 1997.
[3] World Bank, “Sector Report on Water Resources Strategy Paper on Effective Management of Water Resource in Africa,” World Bank, Washington DC, 2002.
[4] World Bank, “Sector Report on Water Resources Strategy Paper on Effective Management of Water Resource in Africa,” Effective Management of Water Resource in Africa, Washington, DC, 2000.
[5] P. H. Gleick, “Basic Water Requirements for Human Activities: Meeting the Basic Needs,” Water International, Vol. 21, No. 2, 1998, pp. 83-92. doi:10.1080/02508069608686494
[6] G. F. White, D. J. Bradley and A. U. White, “Drawers of Water, Domestic use in East Africa,” University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1972.
[7] A. M. Cairncross, “Health Impacts in Developing Countries: New Evidence and New Prospects,” Journal of the Institution of Water and Environmental Management, Vol. 4, No. 6, 1990, pp. 572-577.
[8] S. A. Eserey, R. G. Feachem and J. M. Hughes, “Interventions for the Control of Diarrhoeal Diseases among Young Children: Improving Water Supplies and Excreta Disposal Facilities,” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Vol. 63, No. 4, 1985, pp. 757-772.
[9] S. A. Eserey, J. B. Potash, L. Roberts and C. Shiff, “Effects of Improved Water Supply and Sanitation on Ascariasis, Diarrheoea, Dracunliasis, Hookworm Infection, Schitomiasis, and Trachoma,” Bulletin of World Health Organization, Vol. 69, No. 5, 1991, pp. 609-621
[10] UN, “In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All,” United Nations, Geneva, 2000.
[11] WHO/UNICEF, “Joint Monitoring Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation a MDG Assessment Report,” World Health Organization, Geneva, 2008.
[12] WHO, “Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment,” Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation, World Health Organization, New York, 2000.
[13] C. Shaw, “Tri-Sector Partnerships: How They Work?” Department for International Development Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 18, 2003. http://www.development.org.uk/search
[14] J. Medalye, “Water Governance, Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and Environment,” Encyclopedia of Earth, Washington DC, 2008. http://www.eoearth.org/article/water_governance
[15] H. David, “Water Supply and Sanitation Interim Strategy Report,” World Bank, Washington DC, 2000.
[16] J. Hari and P. E. Krishna, “Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting,” 3rd Edition, Austin, 2005.
[17] TWDB, “Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting,” 2005. http://www.twdb.state.tx.us
[18] A. P. Russell, D. Porter and V. Silvy, “Rainwater Harvesting Capturing Natures Best for Your Landscape,” 2008. http://texaswater.tamu.edu/conservation.rainwater.html
[19] D. Baguma, W. Loiskandl and H. Jung, “Water Management, Rainwater Harvesting and Predictive Variables in Rural Households,” Water Resource Management, Vol. 24, No. 13, 2010, pp. 3333-3348. doi:10.1007/s11269-010-9609-9
[20] S. Opare, “Rainwater Harvesting: An Option for Sustainable Rural Water Supply in Ghana,” Geojournal, 2011.
[21] S. I. Efe, “Quality of Rainwater Harvesting for Rural Communities of Delta State, Nigeria,” The Envoronmentalist, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2006, pp. 175-181. doi:10.1007/s10669-006-7829-6
[22] NPC, “Nigeria Population Commission Official Result for 2006 House and Population Census Figures,” Bureau for National Statistics Abuja Nigeria, Abuja, 2006. http://www.nigeriansta.gov.ng
[23] E. M. Aregheore, “Contributions of Shrubs and Fodder Trees to Ruminant Nutrition during the Dry Season in Delta North,” Unpublished Data, 1995.
[24] T. H. Thomas and D. B. Martinson, “Roof Rainwater Harvesting: A Handbook for Practitioners,” Technical Paper Series, Vol. 49, 2007, p. 160.
[25] E. Ghisi, A. Montibeller and R. W. Schmidt, “Potential for Potable Water Savings by Using Rainwater: An Analysis over 62 Cities in Southern Brazil,” Building and Environment, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2006, pp. 204-210. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.01.014
[26] O. O. Aladenola and O. B. Adeboye, “Assessing the Potential for Rainwater Harvesting,” Water Resource Management, Vol. 24, No. 10, 2010, pp. 2130-2137. doi:10.1007/s11269-009-9542-y
[27] H. T. Ishaku, M. R. Majid and F. Joha, “Rainwater Harvesting: An Alternative to Water Supply in Nigerian Rural Communities,” Water Resources Management, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2011, pp. 295-305 doi:10.1007/s11269-011-9918-7

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.