Drought and it's recurrence: implications for water resources development in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

The study analyzed the occurrence and return periods of drought for 6 locations covering the Guinea, Sudan and Sahel savanna zones of Nigeria for different time periods. Standardized Rainfall Anomaly Index (Van Rooy, 1965) was utilized for drought characterization. The analyses show that 31 out of the 69 years analyzed for Kaduna were drought years. For the 71-year time period analyzed for Minna and Bida, 37 and 33 years, respectively were characterized as dry years. Thirty-two out of the 55 years analyzed for Sokoto were drought years, 21 out of the 42 years analyzed for Nguru were characterized as drought years while 32 out of the 51 years analyzed for Gusau were dry years. The recurrence interval of drought were 2.27, 1.92, 2.17.1.72, 2 and 1.59 years for Kaduna, Minna, Bida, Sokoto, Nguru and Gusau respectively. Given these findings, the need for robust water resources management and development is underscored. Relevant River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) should focus on increased establishment of dams and irrigation projects and inter basin water transfers. In addition, water supply planning, demand management and drought impact minimization be prioritized.

Keywords: Drought, recurrence interval, water resources, dams, irrigation