Review: Sustainable water resources engineering and management; Nigerian perspective

Abstract

Water resources sustainability is essential to life because all living things and some non-living things need it to complete their processes. The water usage is rising, hence pressure on the availability, and some instances rose to crisis level. These pressures were due to population growth, increases in irrigated land, deforestation, soil and land degradation, and wastages. Engineering is one of the majors' components in tackling water resources sustainability. Therefore, this paper reviews the general concepts of sustainable water resources from an engineering and management perspective. The method adopted to realize the aim of the research was a thorough literature review. Engineering has three sub-components, these are Ecological, Economic, and social sustainability. Failure in one of these sub-components is a failure of the component. The literature revealed that Water resources sustainability is a multifaceted discipline therefore, engineering discipline alone would not solve it. However, this paper proffered some recommendations and the way forward. These recommendations are the steps required at the watersheds level, the engineering strategies aspects, and the management strategy. It concluded that a holistic approach where all shareholders will be involved is an ideal approach.