ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS IN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN ANAMBRA STATE

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the role of community (traditional) and government-bases institutions in watershed management in Anambra State of Nigeria. Data were collected from 92 respondents who were selected and  interviewed  using both interview schedule and questionnaires.  The data collected were presented using percentages and means. The results  indicated  that  for  the  community  based  institutions,  it  is the  adult  males  that manage  the watersheds  and  this  role  has  not  changed,  whereas  the government-based institutions  manage  and  regenerate  the  watersheds.  The  result  also  indicated  that  the effective   management  activities  in  Anambra  State  watersheds  embraced  defecation, prohibition of excess wood logging and dumping of refuse with mean of score and above. The result  also  showed  that  for the  both institutions,  gaps were noticed  in  watershed management  in  the  state.  It  equally  revealed  that  between  the  community-based  and government-based  institutions, there is little or no links and respectively) and that inter- ministerial linkages and interdisciplinary linkages with communities for quarterly meeting is the needed link between those institutions. It  further revealed that enacting laws was considered  the  most  needed  role  in   watershed  management;  while  Anambra  state Agricultural  Development  Project   was  identified  as  the  needed  new  institution  for watershed  management.  This  suggest  the  need  for  extension  organization  to  organize training for its staff in the  aspect of watershed and teach them verified techniques that involves best Agricultural Management practices which should be taught to farmers who farm within the watersheds and to coordinate the role among all the institution agencies and ministries that are stakeholders in watershed management.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the study

Water covers about  71% of the earth’s  surface,  and is always present  to  some extent in the atmosphere.  Over two thirds of earth’s surface is covered with water (United Nations, 2001).   Water supplies many good services essential to human health and well being among which are water for drinking, agricultural and  industrial production, water for  transportation,  recreation,  hydroelectric  power  generation,  and  natural  habitat  for aquatic plants and animals.  The role and importance of water to man is indispensable.  As a matter of fact, life and death of every living thing depend on water.

Water can make or mar our life depending on how it occurs and how it is managed (UN-Water/Africa,  2004).   When it is too little or insufficient,  it will kill us  faster than starvation.  Both plants and animals depend on water and lack of it can both dehydration and  starvation.  Nevertheless,  irrespective  of  the  mode  of  occurrence,  it  can  be  an instrument   for   poverty   alleviation   and   economic   recovery,   if  properly   managed. Otherwise, it results in poor health and low productivity, of both plants and animals, which will in turn lead to food insecurity and constrained economic development (Obiora, 2006). Thus what we get out of water  depends greatly  upon what we put into it in terms of management; and how water is managed in particular basins and individual watersheds is the  key  to  sustainable   water  management  (Lant,  1999,  Jackson  et  al  2001).  The availability and quantity of this precious but infinite natural resource depend largely on its watershed (U.S. EPA, 2003).

The area that supplies water to a stream and its tributaries by direct runoff and by ground  water runoff is the drainage  area or watershed  for the stream (Douglas  et al.,

1989).  Watershed is also area of land that draws into a body of water such as stream, lake,

river or ocean; it is separated from other watersheds by high points in the areas such as hills or slopes. It includes not only the water ways itself but also the entire land area that drains to it (SFWMD, 2004).   In effect, rain felling in a watershed flows downhill and eventually reaches the stream at the bottom (Shukla (2004).  According  to Gelt (1998); Swallow et al, (2001), Shukla (2004), terms like catchment or drainage basin are also used to  refer  to  watersheds,  the  term  river  basin  sometimes  is  used  synonymously  with watershed.

Watershed  management  has  become  a prominent  approach  to  natural  resource management (NRM) in Australia and elsewhere in the world like Nepal USA etc.  In the Australian  State  of  New  South  Wales  (NSW);  catchments  management,  the  NSW watershed management initiative has been in place both in coastal and non-coastal areas for nearly two decades.

Institutions are humanly devised constraints on behaviour made up of formal rules (constitutions, laws, contracts etc, informal rules (norms, cultures etc) and the enforcement characteristic of both (Badami, 2004). According to Igbokwe (2005) an institution is an enduring   complex  of  norms,  roles,  values,  beliefs  and   sanctions  encompassing   a prescribed aspect of human life.  Institution can also mean that rules and norms guiding a community or a society.   According to Saravanan  (2001), institutions are the rules and organizations  including  informal norms that  co-ordinate human behaviours.   Thus, they could range from groups of farmers or  persons organized to achieve a specific goal to formal organization such as research, educational or governmental establishments.

Before the advent  of the colonial administration  in Nigeria,  most  communities have different  traditional  methods  for cleaning water surroundings.   In  Anambra State, most  communities  had traditional  institutions  who  in the past  had  helped  manage  the watersheds.   Among which are the men and women groups, the village/town unions, the

age grade and the youth associations.   Nevertheless, there were roles expected of these varied  institutions  and  there  were  also  norms  that  guided  the  use  and  utilization  of watershed. Such roles and norms included that at the end of a prescribed period, the youth will go to waterways and even dredge them. Women usually do the cleaning/sweeping of the waterways in some communities.  Moreover, indiscriminate cutting down of trees and hunting  of some  animal  species  were also  prohibited  around  the  watersheds  (Obiora,

2006).  As  modernization   continues  the  traditional  institutions   are  gradually   being transformed  into modern institutions such as the Ministry of Water Resource and Rural Development,    FADAMA   Projects   were   also   established   within   the   watershed, Engineering,   sub-programme;   Anambra  State  Agricultural   Development   Programme (ASADP), Directorate for Food Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFFRI), Federal Ministry of Environment  (formally FEDA).   Anambra  State Environment  Protection Agency; all these  institutions  were  established  as a result  of watershed;  however  their  capacity  in watershed management in the state is arguable.

1.2      Problem Statement

According to Enwelu (2007) a lot of excavation activities are going on within and around the watersheds in Enugu State. The situation is compounded by lack of adequate rules and regulations  guiding  the use of watersheds  in the communities.  Consequently indiscriminate felling of trees, excavation of sands/stones, fishing with chemicals, grazing of animals,  building  of  houses,  fuelwood  exploration  etc  will  lead  to  degradation  of watershed resources needed for production of crops and animals highly needed for food security.  Similarly  the same  scenario  is observed  in  Anambra  State and this calls  for proper management of the watersheds.

In a wider dimension, the situation in Africa is worrisome because there are cases of water scarcity, water resource pollution, human health and safety, aquatic  ecosystem

integrity, water bodies drying up and prediction that by 2025 most communities will be water stressed (Lant, 1999; Jackson et al., 2001; Obasi, 2003).  The incidence above has been blamed partly on poor management of the watershed environment (United Nation – Water/Africa  2004).    This  is  true  because  the  watersheds  determine  the  quality  and quantity  of  the  water  resources  (Cogels,  2004).     The  agricultural  activities  in  the watersheds  has impact on our water resources by  increasing soil erosion that deposited sediments into base reservoirs leading to dry up  of water bodies and the introduction of chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides etc) into the aquatic system affecting the water quality (Ward et al., 1994).   Therefore, the effective management of water resources to ensure sustainability will only be holistic if watersheds are properly managed.

Population growth, increasing  industrial and agricultural practices in some  parts Enugu State likewise Anambra State have not only led to environmental degradation at some of the watersheds in the states but also affected the flow of water in the watersheds. Moreover, the chemical run-off with the watershed contributed health hazards to human beings and the aquatic animals.  Also increased run-off leads to more flooding after rains and flood carriers and deposits sediments into the rivers which in turn leads to drying out of the watersheds (Obiora, 2006).

Ingwu  (nd)  highlighted  the  effect  of modernization  on watershed  states.  They noted that apart from construction  of new life styles and new tastes have  emerged  as people are becoming more exposed to western cultures, the process of acculturation is on the increase. New life styles and new tastes have led to increased deforestation and water pollution. The local economy has become commercialized. The local products (firewood, fish, bush meat, water) that used to be obtained largely for personal and subsistence use have all become commodities which are regularly bought and sold. People are changing their habits. Modern/new  life styles cause us to exploit and use twice as much  natural resources including water as our grand parents did.

Watershed  management  project evaluation have generally identified  institutional weaknesses  at three levels which include (1) inappropriate  national  economic policies, funding,  commitment  etc,  (2)  lack  of  integrating  local  institutions  and  (3)  failure  to recognize and effectively promote cooperation among  watershed landholders (Brooks et al. 1999).

Since watershed  management  remains the most effective way to enhance  water quality  and  quantity,  protect  critical  wildlife  habitat,  prevent  soil  erosion  and  sustain economic activities, the following questions become pertinent in this study. (i) What are the existing  traditional  and  modern  institutions  involved  in  watershed  management  in Anambra State. (ii) What are their roles in management  of watersheds? (iii) Are there linkages existing between the institutions involved in watershed management? (iv) What are the problems militating against management of watersheds in Anambra State and the possible solutions?

1.3      Objectives of the study

The broad objective of the study is to ascertain the role of institutions in watershed management in Anambra State.

The specific objectives are to

1.        identify  both  traditional  and  modern  institutions   involved  in  the   watershed management;

2.        identify the existing roles of the institutions in watershed management;

3.        ascertain linkages existing and/or needed linkage among the institutions involved in the management of watersheds;

4.        identify problems associated with watershed management; and

5.        proffer solutions to the problems associated with watershed management;

1.4      Justification of the Study

Rainfed  agriculture  in  Nigeria  is  characterized  by  low  productivity,  degraded natural resources  and widespread  poverty,  as a result  of poor watershed  management. This study therefore will help to creating more public awareness on the role of institutions in  watershed  management.    It  will  also  provide  knowledge  on  the  need  to  preserve biodiversity to maintain ecological balance.  Local based institutions will find this work as a sensitizing phenomenon on their role in effective watershed management for agricultural productivity.   Academicians  and researchers  will also  find in this research,  a valuable document for research, information and knowledge purposes.

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