Cumulative Impacts of Climate Change Variability Around the Goronyo Dam in the Iullemmeden Basin, Northwest Nigeria

Abstract

This chapter considers studies of the persistent multi-dimensional impact of climate change variability around the Goronyo Dam and across the Rima River (Latitude 13° 25’ 56’’E) in the Lullemmeden Basin of Sokoto state, North West Nigeria. With an initial designed storage capacity of 942 million cubic meters, mainly for water supply and irrigation to Sokoto and Birnin Kebbi states with a total population of over 8.5 million people, recent water level and storage in the dam has been depleted by almost 90% in the past decade of its installed capacity, the biggest decrease since the construction of the dam over 30 years ago. The peak of climate change variability was observed as a consequence of a rainfall shortage and the siltation of the dam in 2017, which together resulted in significant socioeconomic impact on the beneficiaries of these water infrastructures. This has, in turn, resulted in inadequate water supply to state water agencies that depend on the dam to supply water for drinking, irrigation and other uses. The water shortage due to this climate change variability has compelled the dislocation of the socioeconomic life of people, families and livestock, forcing migration of human and animal life, thereby igniting social tension and poor personal and communal hygiene, resulting in epidemics including cholera and dysentery. This study proposes immediate remedial solutions, including the construction of tubewells and effective integrated water management of the entire water resource in order to improve and mediate these multiple and widely varying impacts on the settlements of Goronyo infrastructures, including on their dependents and beneficiaries.