Assessing the importance of geo-hydrological data acquisition in the development of sustainable water resources framework in Nigeria

Abstract

Lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities suggests that water resources management is not at its optimal level in Nigeria. Also, literature indicates transformation in the approaches of water resources management from the more traditionally approach which rely largely on physical solutions, to a new concept that blends resource development with ecological concerns. However, the trade-offs in the transformation requires more detailed geo-hydrological data in its implementation. Hence, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the need for acquisition of continuous and consistent geo-hydrological data for the development of sustainable framework for water resources in Nigeria. The methodology adopted is to compare the development of two MODFLOW based groundwater flow model scenarios for Lagos metropolis, Nigeria, and Birmingham, UK; evaluate the sufficiency of the required input data, and assessed the emanating implications for the model outputs. The results showed that Lagos metropolis model was plagued with dearth of the required geo-hydrological data and this greatly limited the reliability and prediction capability of the model. Recommendations include wide availability of quality assured, retrievable and accessible data, effective coordination and interactions between the various relevant government agencies, and Water Resources Bill that mandates professionals to submit all data acquire from government and privately funded projects and researches. Others include pro-active engagement between professional bodies and government agencies, as well as implementation and enforcement of the existing regulations.

KEYWORDS: Groundwater models, water resources, sustainability, ecological preservation