An Assessment of Gully Erosion in Dutse Sahelian Zone of Jigawa State, Nigeria, and its Adverse Consequencies on the Socio-Economic Development of the State

Abstract

Over the years, human activities on the environment such as intensive farming practice, deforestation and overgrazing of livestock has in some ways triggered off flooding and soil erosion by both water and wind, deforestation through clearance of the surrounding woody biomass for the creation of new settlements and expansion of the existing ones, resulted in the permanent degradation of the land surface, similarly due to intensive farming practice, deforestation and overgrazing the natural stability of the soil has been under constant degradation. Soil erosion in the form shallow gullying, rill erosion, sheet erosion and river bank erosion is prevalent in the study area. However, due to badland topography coupled with poor sandy soil type of origin, dry with poorly unconsolidated surface material encouraged an increase in erodibility, hence the formation of the gullies is more rapid. It was observed that there was rapid enlargement of the gullies and the rate of increase has remained constant, a drip of discharge flowing down the gully was also observed. The gullies have caused considerable soil losses and water about 3. 15 and 2.10 kg m year – 1 of soil losses was observed from the gullies. Furthermore, the resultant soil losses were due to heavy rainfall experienced during the last year raining season and associated rate of sediment production caused by gully erosion. The study concludes that the menace of gully erosion caused a severe damage to farm lands, routes of communication and settlements creating untold hardship to the rural population.