Assessment of the Gully Erosion and Disaster Risk in Rafingora Area of Kontagora, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, gully erosion is mostly associated with the south-eastern part of the country. There is dearth of data on gully erosion activities especially around Rafingora in Kontagora Local Government Areas of Niger State due to the popular believe and focus on desert encroachment and flooding that are common to the north. Soil erosion constitutes one of the most significant global environmental problems due to severity of its ecological effects, and the scale of occurrences. This study aimed at examining the effect of gully erosion in Rafingora and Baba-rami area of Kontagora with the hope of determining the level of vulnerability of the inhabitant and the socioeconomic implication of the erosion on the community. The study adopted visual observation of the soil profile and land uses, physical measurement of houses proximity to the gully erosion hazards. Garmin 78GPS was used to determine the coordinates of the key reference points while oral interview and focus group discussions were carried out to ascertain the level of disruption to life and property. The slope analysis reveals that the settlement is located within a valley with rivulets whose main tributary has been experiencing backwash erosion for the past 20 years. The soil is of podzol-sandy soil that catalyzed the creation of gully about 10 meters deep and 500 meters long from the bridge of the traversing Mokwa-Kontagora road. The study also finds out that poverty is bane of the ecological degradation in the area. It is therefore recommended that building material mining in the area should be prohibit while the ecological fund in the state should be directed to the re-stabilization of the entire area and strengthening the coping capacity of the community