Sustainable management of drought and desertification in nigeria

Sustainable Management of Drought
and Desertification in Nigeria
D. Bashir
National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna
Paper presented at the 1st National Summit on the Environment:
Greening the Environment for Sustainable Economic Dev.
at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on 20-21 October, 2008

Outline of Presentation
20 Oct. 2008 2D. Bashir: Sustainable Mgt. of Drought & Desertification in Nigeria
 Introduction
 Process of desertification
 Extent of Desertification in Nigeria
 Causes of Desertification in Nigeria
 Efforts at Combating Drought & Desertification
 Drought and Desertification Programs &Projects
 Challenges of Drought and Desertification in Nigeria
 Recommendations

Introduction
Drought is a naturally occurring phenomenon that exists when
precipitation has been significantly below normal recorded
levels, causing serious hydrological imbalances that adversely
affect land resource production systems UNCCD
Desertification is land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry
sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including
climatic variations and human activities UNCCD
3 types of drought: meteorological, agricultural and hydrological
NDPP – Anon. (2005)

Process of Desertification
 Perceived to be slow and therefore apparently inconspicuous
 its frontiers can hardly be seen to be spreading
 Isolated areas that are degraded due to human activities
and/or climatic variations expand subtly over time and
eventually merge
 Subsequent human activities will accelerate the degradation
until the land is bereft of vegetation and turns into a desert.
 Drought, especially if prolonged and/or repeated at short
intervals, exacerbates and aids the process of desertification

20 Oct. 2008 D. Bashir: Sustainable Mgt. of Drought & Desertification in Nigeria 5
 38% of Nigeria’s total land area
 1/3 national population (46,391,611)
 50% - 75% of the DFS’s threatened
 260,000 km2 facing serious
desertification problems
 rate of desertification ≈ 0.6 km/yr
 critically affected States: Borno,
Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina and Sokoto,
Desertification Frontline States
Extent of Desertification in Nigeria

Extent of Desertification in
Nigeria
S/N Land Use category
Area (km2) %
Change1976/78 1993/95
1 Shrubs/Grasses 14,240 8,674 -39.09
2 Grasses 3,735 4,578 22.57
3 Grassland 744 415 -44.22
4 Discontinuous Grassland 3,024 2,841 -6.05
5 Shrub/Sedge/Graminoid Freshwater Marsh/Swamp 1,344 782 -41.82
6 Extensive (grazing) Agriculture 10,334 10,583 2.41
7 Extensive Agriculture with Denuded 1,433 4,379 205.58
8 Intensive (crop) Agriculture 7,826 7,879 0.68
9 Floodplain Agriculture 1,272 1,824 43.40
10 Sand Dunes 416 1,835 341.11
11 Gullies 123 609 395.12
Total 46,469 46,392 -0.17
Source: Geomatics International Inc. (1998)
Dominant vegetation and land use classes in Yobe State (1976/78 -1993/95)

Causes of Desertification in
Nigeria
 Climatic Variations
 Ave. rainfall: 200-750 mm/yr; 4 month rainy season: June-Sept.
 In Nguru, Yobe State: ET=1,786; ppt is 534mm/yr ; water deficit > twice annual
rainfall
 Temp: 14oC - 44oC; RH as low as 10% at harmattan season
 reoccurring drought: 1903/1905, 1913/1915, 1923/1924, 1942/1944, 1954/1956,
1972/1973, 1982/1983
 Climate Change:
 African continent is believed to be particularly vulnerable due to poverty,
recurrent droughts, inequitable land distribution, rain-fed agriculture
 Drought-affected areas will likely increase in extent due to global warming
(IPCC, 2007)
 Reduction in precipitation in the Sahel - if accompanied by high interannual
variability - detrimental to the hydrological balance and disrupt various
water-dependent socioeconomic activities (Zinyowera et. al., 2001)

Nigeria
 Human Activities
 Deforestation: mainly due to increasing demands for agricultural
lands and fuel wood. Encroachments on reserves.
 Overgrazing:
 DFS’s supporting much of the country’s livestock economy -
90% of cattle, 2/3 of goats and sheep and almost all donkeys,
camels and horses
 Most of the facilities in the grazing reserves have deteriorated,
encroachment on reserves and livestock routes –
farmers/herders conflicts
 Annual Bush Fires:
 land clearing in preparation for agricultural activities,
 trapping of games (animals) during the hunting season

Nigeria
 Soils erosion:
 absence of vegetation exposes the land to serious water and wind
erosion.
 Increase in areas under sand dunes (241%) and gullies (395%)
 Poverty:
 Both a cause and a consequence of desertification
 inadequate resources and technology, results in increased
degradation of the environment (forcing utilization of marginal
lands)
 In turn, the degraded environment could yield only minimally
thereby exacerbating poverty
 A vicious cycle is slowly being entrenched

Nigeria
 Inappropriate water resources development:
 By 1990, 162 dams with total storage capacity to irrigate 725,000 ha.
 Only 293,117 ha developed , 218,840 ha irrigated
S/N RBDA
Equipped
Area (ha)
Actual Irrigated
Area (ha)
AIA as %
of EA
1 3 RBDAs in DFS 72,235 27,290 37.8
2  Chad 26,180 1,000 3.8
3  Hadejia-Jama'are* 18,475 21,000 113.7
4  Sokoto-Rima 27,580 5,290 19.2
9 Other RBDAs 20,082 1,850 9.2
Total RBDAs 92,317 29,140 31.6
RBDAs in DFS as % of Total RBDAs 78.2% 93.7%
* Areas outside equipped area are irrigated using water from the main canal Source: Franken (2005)

Nigeria
KANO
NGURU GASHUA
KATAGUM
HADEJIA
BAUCHI
JOS
KANO STATE
JIGAWA STATE
BAUCHI STATE
YOBE STATE
DUTSE
BORNO STATE
GOMBE STATE
R.Yobe
R.Fakate
R. Gau
R. Gulka
R. Gari
Hadejia-Nguru
Wetlands
Challawa
Gorge Dam
Tiga Dam
KRIP
HVIP
Proposed
Kafin Zaki Dam
 Hadejia-Jama’are-Komadugu-Yobe Basin

Efforts at Combating Drought &
Desertification
International Treaties:
1 United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
2 Biodiversity Convention (CBD)
3 United Nations Convention on
Climate Change (UNCCC)
1 National Action Program to combat
Desertification (NAP)
2 National Drought Preparedness Plan (NDPP)
3 National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) and
State Environmental Action Plans (SEAPs)
4 National Tropical Forestry Action Plan (NTFAP)
5 National Conservation Strategy (NCS)
6 Natural Resources Conservation Action Plan
(NRCAP)
7 National Water Resources Master Plan (NWRMP)
8 National biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
(NBSAP)
9 The Green Agenda of the VISION 2010 report
10 National AGENDA 21
11 National Economic Empowerment and
Development Strategy (NEEDS)
1 National Policy on Environment
2 National Drought and
Desertification Policy
3 National Agricultural Policy
4 National Water Policy
5 National Energy Policy
6 National Policy on Women
Policy Initiatives:
Strategies & Action Plans:

Desertification
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999
National Parks Services Act, 1991
National Desert Commission Bill, 2008
Federal Environment Protection Act, 1988, 92, 99
National Forestry Act, 1937 (under review)
National Environment Standards Enforcement Agency Act, 2007
Endangered Species (CITES) Act, 1985
Land Use Act, 1978
Integrated Water Resources Management Commission Bill, 2008
National Emergency Management Agency Act, 1999
National Water Resources Act, 1983 (under review)
Legislations:
Environmental Impact Assessment Act, 1992

Desertification
National Coordinating Body (NCB)
 National Coordinating Body (NCB) was established to specifically
address problems of desertification and implement the provisions of the
UNCCD
 Both the National Focal Point (NFP) and the secretariat of the NCB are
resident in the Federal Ministry of Environment
 The NCB has prepared the National Action Program to Combat
Desertification (NAP) that is validated since 2000 and is being
implemented
 Membership include Federal and State MDAs, Academia, NGOs and
National Focal Points of UNCCD, UNCCC and CBD

Desertification
Drought Task Force (DTF)
 To comprehensively ameliorate the impacts of drought a National
Drought Preparedness Plan (NDPP) in 2005
 To implement the NDPP, Drought Task Forces were established :
 to supervise and coordinate the plan development;
 to coordinate actions, implement mitigation and response programs
and make policy recommendations during times of drought when
the plan is activated;
 to define the scope of the drought plan, the most drought-prone
areas and most vulnerable economic and social sectors, and resolve
conflicts.

Desertification
FGN
Policy
FMEnv
Coordination
Universities, NIMET &
Others
Research, Forecasting,
EWS
Communities
Ownership, O&M
Drought Task Force (Federal, State,
LGAs)
Implementation of Programs &
Projects
Planning/
Strategies
Monitoring &
Evaluation
Extension &
Training
• DTFs at the Federal, State and LGA
levels
• Memberships include:
• MDAs at individual Govt. level
• Academic & Research Inst.
• External Support Agencies
• Financial Institutions
• NGOs and CBOs
• NGOs and CBOs only at State and
LGA levels
• 3 Committees of DTFs:
• Monitoring/EWS
• Risk assessment
• Mitigation and response
• Functions of each member and
Committee spelt out
Drought Task Force (DTF
Drought Preparedness Strategy Organizational
StructureSource: Anon. (2005)
Drought Preparedness Strategy

Desertification
Coordination Mechanisms
 As recommended by the NAP there is synergy among the Multilateral Environmental
Agreements
 UNCCD, UNCCC and CBD are members of the NCB
 NGO National Coordinating Committee not established
 only 10 NGOs accredited by UNCCD Secretariat
 NCB Secretariat working on partnership agreements with 3 regional organizations
 Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation (NNJCC)
 Niger Basin Authority (NBA)
 Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC)
 Numerous Donors and other External Support Agencies are supporting various
programs and projects
 no donor coordination mechanism in place

Drought and Desertification Programs
&Projects
A number of programs and projects initiated to combat desertification and
mitigate the effects of drought
 The Greenbelt Program
 designed to recover the ecosystem in the affected area
 1,500 km shelterbelt across the extreme northern parts of the country
 to be jointly executed by the Federal, State and Local Governments
 Model Village Development Project
 integrated and community-based approach, piloted in 14 communities
 The project consists of environmental education and awareness; establishment of
community plant nurseries, woodlots, wind breaks and botanical gardens; rural
water supply and sanitation; and Popularization of Renewable Energy
Technologies (RETs)
 Sand Dune Fixation Project
 to demonstrate the appropriate technologies for sand-dune fixation
 Two pilot sites selected in each of the critical States (Borno, Jigawa, Kano,
Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara)

&Projects
 Rangeland Management Project
 covers all the 11 DFS to promote technologies for establishing rangelands
 improve the carrying capacity of the land for livestock
 to convince the nomadic herdsmen to become sedentary
 Development of National Drought Forecasting and EWS
 to be led by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET)
 Provision meteorological instrumentations at various locations in the
country to enable NIMET improve its prediction models
 Desertification Assessment and Preparation of Desertification Map
 acquisition of credible data on the extent, severity and rate of desertification
for the production of a National Desertification Map

&Projects
 Nigeria-Niger Transboundary Ecosystem Management Project
 GEF supported project to improve livelihoods in the areas covered by the
Maiduguri Agreement between the two countries
 A National Technical Committee in each country and a Regional Technical
Committee have been established
 A number of baseline studies were carried out
 Other Programs and Projects
 a number of other programs and projects being carried out in the DFAs by
 various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) at Federal,
State and LGA levels,
 External Support Agencies,
 Development Finance Institutions,
 NGOs and CBOs

&Projects
Funding
 Major sources of funds include the budgetary allocations, grants-in-aid
through the Federal Ministry of Finance, special grants from the
Ecological Fund Office and residual funding assistance either in cash
or in kind from bilateral and multilateral organizations
 Budgetary allocations are inadequate to fully implement the various
programs and projects
 Ecological Funds reduced from 2% to 0.76% of Federation Account
 No Information on how much of their share of Ecological Funds the
DFS are allocating for drought and Desertification projects
 Donors, ESAs and DFIs support these programs. Major ones are the
World Bank, EU, AfDB, UNIDO, UNDP and the Secretariat of UNCCD

Challenges of Drought and
Desertification in Nigeria
 Drought and desertification concerns are addressed as a sub-sectoral issue
rather than an integrated and holistic issue with synergies with other relevant
sub-sectors
 About 46m people (1/3 of Nigeria’s population) live in the 11 frontline States
(DFS) and processes of desertification and impacts of drought are
increasingly threatening their livelihoods such that manifestation of extreme
poverty abound
 Attainment of the MDGs, successful implementation of the 7-point agenda of
the present Government and achievement of the vision 20-20 would just be
wishful thinking unless the enumerated drought and desertification issues are
effectively addressed and the developed programs and projects are diligently
and conclusively implemented

 The existing policies, strategies and plans as well legislations (including the
bills in the National Assembly) are adequate to address drought and
desertification issues in Nigeria. However, enforcement of such laws and
implementation of strategies and plans have not been effective due to
inadequate enforcement mechanisms, insufficient funds and inefficient use of
the available funds
 The two bills currently before the National Assembly that are important for the
fight against desertification: National Desertification Commission Bill and
Integrated Water Resources Management Commission Bill. Furthermore, the
draft National Water Resources Bill has been debated around the country by
stakeholders and should be ready for the National Assembly soon. These
three bills will need to be harmonized and quickly passed into laws

 The dismal performances of the large and capital intensive dams and
irrigation schemes have clearly shown that the necessary competence
and willingness to effectively operate and manage such schemes are
lacking in Nigeria. Furthermore, these large dams have been shown to
promote the desertification processes as their impacts on their
downstream ecology have resulted in the desiccation of extensive
floodplains and destruction of fishery resources and wildlife habitats;
as well as reduction of ground water recharge. These have resulted in
loss of unique biodiversity and livelihoods thereby exacerbating
poverty

 Currently nearly 85% of the water in the Yobe River is the contribution of the
Jama’are River. The Hadejia River has not been contributing much because of
the construction and operation of Tiga and Challawa Gorge dams upstream and
the inefficient water utilization in the KRIP, HVIP and at the Kano City Water
Supply intake. This has resulted in various blockages of the river channels, rapid
development of the obnoxious typha grass and potash intrusion and all the
attendant problems in the Hadejia-Jama’are-Komadugu-Yobe Basin (HJKYB).
 If Kafin Zaki dam is constructed and operated like the other schemes, there is a
good chance that the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands and the extensive floodplains in
Bade, Jakusko, Nguru and Tarmuwa LGAs that provide livelihoods to hundreds
of thousands of people will be seriously compromised.

 Equitable and sustainable management of water resources in Nigeria is
a prerequisite for successful implementation of any program and/or
project to combat desertification and ameliorate the effects of drought.
 The experience in the HJKYB and the various programs and events that
led to the emergence of the HJKYB-Trust Fund and its impacts on the
basin to date has shown that there is the need to consider planning and
executing drought and desertification programs and projects on
catchment basis. This means that the other basin in the DFA, Sokoto-
Rima Basin, would need to study and learn from the experiences of
HJKYB and develop structures for integrated land and water resources
management

 Budgetary allocations are inadequate to fully implement the various programs and
projects. This is confounded by the Supreme Court judgment that reduced the
Ecological Funds from 2% to 0.76% of the Federation Account. There is also no
Information on how much of their shares of Ecological Funds the DFS
Governments are allocating for drought and Desertification projects
 There are numerous actors striving to contribute to combat desertification and
ameliorate impacts of drought in Nigeria. The NCB and NFP lack autonomy in
terms of financial, human and material resources as well as decision making to
effectively develop and implement effective coordination mechanisms
 There is paucity of accurate and reliable hydro-meteorological data in the country.
This is a formidable barrier to effective planning, designing and operation of the
various projects

Recommendations
1. The sector bills (National Forestry Bill, National Desertification Commission Bill
and Integrated Water Resources Management Commission Bill) should be
harmonized and urgently passed into Laws;
2. The subsisting enforcement mechanisms should be upgraded and empowered
through regular training of the enforcement personnel provision of adequate
facilities and improved funding;
3. Effective coordination mechanisms should be established to streamline the
activities of the various stakeholders in the sector including donor
coordination, NGO coordination and vertical and horizontal coordination of
Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies at all levels;
4. Increase support to NIMET to further develop its capacity to enhance its
prediction models for drought forecasting and subsequent development of
effective early warning systems for the country;

Recommendations
5. Strengthen the academic and research institutions, especially the relevant
Ministry of Environment Linkage Centers, to carry out meaningful research
and studies and come up with the relevant data and information needed for
effective planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation;
6. Advocate to the Governors of the DFS to coordinate their efforts and
allocate at least 80% of their shares of the ecological funds to drought and
desertification programs. This is in addition to the budgetary provisions that
should also be enhanced;
7. At least 25% of all donor support in the sectors should be earmarked to
capacity building and data collection and management from now to 2015
and advocate for counterpart contribution of at least 10% of sector budgets;

Recommendations
8. Support and involve and build the capacity of NGOs to effectively participate
in all programs and projects especially in advocacy, awareness creation,
capacity building and mobilization and monitoring and evaluation;
9. There is the urgent need to address these issues and develop and strictly
implement dam operation procedures appropriate for each of the dams in
the DFS;
10. The planned development of the Kafin Zaki dam should be approached with
extreme caution. There is need for a comprehensive EIA, open and sincere
negotiations and commitments to the provisions of the EIA. Fortunately the
HJKYB-Trust Fund and the events that led to its creation will come in handy
to facilitate the processes; and
11. Develop appropriate guidelines for and encourage private sector
participation in drought and desertification related programs and projects.

THANKS FOR LISTENING

Sustainable management of drought and desertification in nigeria

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