Zauro Polder Project
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The Zauro polder project is an irrigation scheme that has long been planned for the
Rima River The Rima River is a river in the northern part of Nigeria. At its northernmost point it is joined by the Goulbi de Maradi river. It runs southwest and joins the Sokoto River near Sokoto, then continues south to the Niger River. The upper Rima i ...
floodplain in
Kebbi State Kebbi State (; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in northwestern Nigeria, bordered to the east and north by the states of Sokoto and Zamfara, and to the south by Niger State while its western border ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. The project is controversial, and would demand careful management to achieve the planned benefits.


Location

Kebbi State Kebbi State (; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in northwestern Nigeria, bordered to the east and north by the states of Sokoto and Zamfara, and to the south by Niger State while its western border ...
is mainly covered by Sudanian Savanna, open woodland with scattered trees. It is intersected by the lowlands of the
Rima Rima, also known as Rima the Jungle Girl, is the fictional heroine of W. H. Hudson's 1904 novel '' Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest''. In it, Rima, a primitive girl of the shrinking rain forest of South America, meets Abel, a pol ...
and
Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
rivers, which are seasonally flooded. There is a wet season between May and September, with little rain in the remainder of the year. Mean annual rainfall is about . Average temperatures are about , ranging from between April and June. Dams and irrigation schemes have often been proposed to make the abundant water of the rainy season available for farming in the dry season.


Plan

The project was originally conceived in 1969 as a joint venture between the state government and the federal ministry of agriculture and water resources. The dam would be situated in the floodplain of the
Rima River The Rima River is a river in the northern part of Nigeria. At its northernmost point it is joined by the Goulbi de Maradi river. It runs southwest and joins the Sokoto River near Sokoto, then continues south to the Niger River. The upper Rima i ...
between
Argungu Argungu is a city in Nigeria's Kebbi State, situated on the Sokoto River. As of 2007 Argungu had an estimated population of 47,064. The city is the seat of the Argungu Emirate, a traditional state. The city is a major agricultural center for t ...
and Birnin Kebbi, irrigating of farmland. Crops would include rice, maize, wheat, barley and vegetables such as cow peas, onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes. The dam would also benefit the fishing industry, important in the state. The project would include construction of a reservoir and canals used to irrigate and drain
polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...
s, areas of farmland protected from flooding by dikes. After a review of the original design, it was changed to reduce water loss from evaporation in the dry season, and also reduce costs, by replacing the open channels with an
aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
recharge system, using wells to draw water from the aquifer for irrigation. The risk of damage from flooding would be mitigated by the
Goronyo Dam The Goronyo Dam impounds the Rima River in Goronyo local government area of Sokoto State in the northern Nigeria. It was completed in 1984 and commissioned in 1992. The dam is a sand-fill structure with a height of 21 m and a total length of 12.5 ...
upstream in
Sokoto State Sokoto ( Hausa: ; Fula: , ''Leydi Sokoto'') is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country. It is bounded by Republic of the Niger to the north and west for 363 km (226 miles), and the states of Zamf ...
, which would also provide water in the dry season. There have been repeated delays. A July 1995 report noted that the project was in "standstill" status. In March 2003, while campaigning for reelection in Birnin Kebbi, President
Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
pledged to complete the project. In October 2006, the Federal and
Kebbi state Kebbi State (; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in northwestern Nigeria, bordered to the east and north by the states of Sokoto and Zamfara, and to the south by Niger State while its western border ...
governments signed a memorandum of understanding for execution of the project, at an estimated cost of N15 billion. In May 2008 President
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (; 16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2007 until his death in May 2010. He won the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 M ...
ordered work to start immediately on the first phase of the project, which was now estimated to cost over N18.5 billion. In January 2009, Kebbi State governor Sa'idu Dakingari said work would soon commence.


Pilot project

A pilot project was inaugurated in 1982 covering 100 hectares in the northern part of Birnin Kebbi. A study of the project issued in 2009 stated that conditions have steadily deteriorated during the project lifetime, with water-logging causing loss of productive farmland due to salinity and alkalinity. The causes include lack of site leveling to allow outflow of surface water, poor maintenance of drains and canals and over-irrigation by farmers. These issues would have to be addressed for the full project to succeed. In 2000, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources said that it was planning to rehabilitate the pilot project. An audit of Federal Government accounts for the year 2007 showed that a 2002 contract worth almost N84 million with 25% advance payment had been awarded for rehabilitation of the dikes and drainage. However, the project seemed to have been abandoned after payment of the mobilization fee.


Controversy

In July 2008, over 1,000 farmers protesting the siting of the project tried to lynch the Kebbi State deputy governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, and the emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Mera, at the emir's palace. One concern is that the reservoir will flood the area where the Argunga fishing festival is held, an important source of income from tourists. There were threats to disrupt to 2009 Argunga fishing festival, but the emir promised to provide a solution after the festival was held. When none was forthcoming, the people of Argunga started throwing stones at the emir whenever they saw him. Some farmers are concerned that the project will flood their farmland, although they have been assured that they will be paid compensation and helped to relocate. Others blame resistance on fear of the unknown, and are confident that the project will improve agricultural productivity, saying they are confident that the government is doing the right thing. Conflicts over irrigation and flood control projects such as the Zauro polder project are unavoidable. Farmers with low-lying fields want less flooding while farmers higher up want more. Fishermen want early flooding, farmers want later flooding and pastoralists want an early dry season so they can access grazing lands. With proper management, these problems can be solved.


References

{{reflist Dams in Nigeria Kebbi State Rima River Floodplains of Africa Wetlands of Nigeria Reservoirs in Nigeria