An Investigation into the Causes of Water Logging at Zauro Polder Pilot Project Scheme in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria

Abstract

The Zauro Polder Project (ZPP) was designed to irrigate over 11,000 ha of arable farmland in Kebbi State. The area is equipped with a 2.65km flood protection dyke, 3.5m high, a temporary pumping station with a generator, a main canal which is connected to compensation reservoir four lateral canals and a collector drain. The source of water is man made diversion channel from the Rima River from which water is pumped into the scheme. In carrying out this study, the channel selected is not among those used for irrigation in the scheme. The channel ends were covered with metal sheets to prevent leakage. The slope was chosen to be 2:1 because of the soil type of the side, which is sandy clay loam. A total timing of 242 min was spent to obtain a total transmission loss of 123.65 mm/min. The rate of seepage loss at its parameters in which the highest transmission loss value is 15.72 mm/min was observed, in the second reading after the first reading of transmission loss value of 15.61 mm/min. The first transmission loss value of 14.94mm was observed in channel II and it gradually decreased to 2.93 after 4 hr 6 min.