By
Adewuyi Babatunde
CENTER FOR DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA, NIGER STATE
+234 8068166939 EMAIL: ADEX22NG@YAHOO.COM
Abstract
Natural events such as erosion can be hazardous to man. The disasters that natural hazards can cause are largely the result of actions by man that increase vulnerability, or lack of action to anticipate and mitigate the potential damage of these events. A comprehensive study of erosion problems in Minna was undertaken due to adverse consequences of erosion on infrastructures and other land uses reducing their quality and values. This study adopts Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool to identify and study erosion hazards in Minna, Niger State. 40 Erosion sites were identified and coordinated using GPS receivers and overlaid on map of the study area. Spatial database for erosion sites was created using relational database model. Result shows that erosion in the study area were caused by lack of drainage outlet from houses, excavation of sand and surface runoff, and it will causes destruction of houses and roads infrastructures. The research suggests planting of trees, shrubs, and grasses, walls, buffers, rocks, and gravels, economic and non-economic tree in managing erosion.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Erosion in Nigeria has been identified as the most threatening environmental hazards, especially in the south-eastern part of Nigeria which is more exposed to soil erosion due to rainfall pattern of the region. (Abegunde, 2006). Study traced its origin to some 30yrs ago when development began to creep into the region following Nigeria’s oil boom of the 1970’s. Dug out pits, created from soil excavation activities, for foundation filling and sand for bricks making and plastering of buildings produced deep creates and gullies due to perennial erosion arising from
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