HADEJIA JAMA’ARE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, PMB 3168, KANO

BRIEF ON ACTIVITIES

   

 

Prior to the discovery of oil, the mainstay of the Nigerian economy was agriculture. Cash and food crops were produced which sustained the population and provided the nation with foreign exchange to meet its import bills.

The varied climate and rainfall pattern form the savannah lands to the rain forests on the Atlantic Coast provided conditions for production of a variety of crops and rearing of livestock. The population in that period of time was a manageable figure of 40-50 million people. The entire agricultural activity was dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Two decades after that era, three phenomena were experienced:-

 

  1. The drought years of the early 70’s and its devastating consequences;
  2. The substantial increase in population, now about 100 million; and
  • The menace of the ever encroaching desert.

These phenomena set the stage for a serious rethinking and brought the issue of developing the nation’s water resources sector into prominence.

It has been established that in the near future Nigeria can no longer feed herself under rain-fed agriculture; irrigation therefore has to play a very important role in attaining self-sufficiency in food production.

 

In a nutshell, the objective of the WATER RESOURCES sector is to explore, exploit and harness the nation’s water resources potential. The eventual goal were therefore:-

 

  1. Boosting the agricultural output through all year cultivation with surplus for export;
  2. Provision of food security for the nation and its fast growing population and the development of agro-allied industries, creation of abundant employment opportunities and provision of raw materials for other industries;
  3. Improvement of health for all Nigerians with availability of potable water;
  4. Professionalizing agriculture and stemming rural-urban migration;
  5. Combating desertification, erosion, flood and other natural hazards;
  6. Provision of adequate infrastructure to ameliorate the adverse effects of drought.

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa is situated along the coast of West Africa between longitudes 2o E and 14o E and latitudes 4o N and 14o N. The land area is estimated at 92.4million hectares, out of which 35% is classified cultivable/arable land while the remaining constitute pastures, forest reserve and non cultivable land.

 

The consciousness and need for our water resources development were heightened by many factors. Among these were the needs to contain ravaging droughts in the northern part of the country and also arrest desert encroachment. Again, despite our abundant land and water resources, food importation was on the increase. Food scarcity and dependence on imported food items were worsened by the civil war, the oil boom of the seventies and the rapid rural to urban migration. Our national sovereignty as an independent country (if we had to depend on imported food), was therefore threatened.

In order to harness Nigeria’s water resources to combat the effects of drought, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources was first created in this country to formulate national water resources development policies and co-ordinate their development. Later in 1976, the Federal Government through Decree No.25 set up 11(eleven) River Basin Development Authorities with responsibilities as spelt out in the decree. Reorganizations and additional mandates were carried out.

 

The River Basin Development Authorities were created to ensure that nation-wide and systematic as well as consistent programmes of development of water resources are achieved. The River Basin Development Authorities were also envisaged as tools to stem the rapid rural/urban migration that were attendant problems of the oil boom era.  In addition, the Ministry through the River Basin Development Authorities is expected to design programmes that would reduce the effects and the devastation of erosion and flood nation-wide. Eleven such River basin Development Authorities were created in 1976 by Decree No. 25 and consolidated by Decrees No. 87of 1979 and No.35 of 1987. Over the years, the River Basin Development Authorities have gone through some operational and structural changes to improve their relevance and efficiency. The number of RBDAs was increased to 16 vide Senate Votes and proceedings of 12th October 2010. At the moment only 12 RBDAs are operational in the country, namely:

 

  1. Anambra Imo River Basin Development Authority
  2. Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority
  • Cross River Basin Development Authority
  1. Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority
  2. Chad Basin Development Authority
  3. Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority
  • Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority
  • Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority
  1. Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority
  2. Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority
  3. Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority
  • Niger Delta Basin Development Authority

 

The Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority was created in 1976 along with ten other River Basin Development Authorities by the Federal Government of Nigeria under Decree 25.  Presently the Authority has the largest functional irrigation schemes among the twelve River Basin Development Authorities in the country. The Authority covers an area of 45,000km2 (whole of Kano and Jigawa States, and about two-thirds of Bauchi State) with an irrigation development potential of about 212,000 hectares within the Vallies of Hadejia and Jama’are Rivers.  The Administrative Headquarters of the Authority is located at Hotoro, Maiduguri Road, in Tarauni Local Government Area of Kano Municipality..

 

The Authority is responsible for the development of surface and underground water resources for irrigated agriculture, water supply and other uses within its catchment areas in Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi States. The statutory functions of the Authority as contained in its enabling law as amended over time are as follows:

 

  1. To undertake a comprehensive development of underground and surface water resources for multipurpose use with emphasis on provision of irrigation water.
  2. To undertake schemes for erosion and flood control and for watershed management including afforestation and orchard development.
  3. To construct, and maintain dams, dykes polders, wells, boreholes; and irrigation and drainage systems.
  4. To provide water from reservoirs and lakes for irrigation purpose to farmers as well as urban and rural water supply.
  5. To operate water legislation and control measures and development; and update water resources master plan of the area of Authority’s development and management, and
  6. To undertake jobs on contract basis for Federal, States and Local Governments and private clients.

 

In line with its statutory functions, the mission and vision of the Authority have been defined as thus:

 

Corporate Mission

Effective management of Water Resources for the development of socio-economic activities of the people within the basin through access to water for irrigation, domestic and other uses in a sustainable manner.

 

The ultimate aim is to efficiently utilize the available water resources with a view to improving the socio-economic status and quality of life, particularly, of the people living within the Authority’s catchments area through supply of water for irrigation, human and livestock consumption, fisheries development and industrial uses.

 

Vision

To be the River Basin Development Authority with the largest functioning infrastructures for agriculture, irrigation and water supply that meets the socio-economic needs of its clientele.

 

 

The Authority therefore continued to develop, operate and maintain various water infrastructures to improve the living standards of rural communities within its catchment area. Dams and irrigation projects are the key infrastructures being developed in this regards, which include:

 

 

  1. Tiga dam and Ruwan Kanya Reservoir
  2. Challawa Gorge dam
  3. Galala Dam
  4. Kafin Zaki Dam Project
  5. Hadejia Barrage
  6. Kano River Irrigation Project
  7. Hadejia Valley Irrigation Project
  8. Challawa Karaye Irrigation Scheme
  9. Galala Irrigation Project
  10. Katagum Irrigation Project
  11. Jama’are Valley Irrigation Project
  12. Wudil Pilot Irrigation Scheme

Back to Our Projects