Climate change: A case for Kafin Zaki Dam

The African continent in particular is more vulnerable to the threat of climate change for the obvious fact that both supply and demand challenges, putting additional pressure on an already fragile food production system.  The current system of agriculture production would only be able to meet 13 percent of the continent’s food demand by 2050.  […]

The African continent in particular is more vulnerable to the threat of climate change for the obvious fact that both supply and demand challenges, putting additional pressure on an already fragile food production system.  The current system of agriculture production would only be able to meet 13 percent of the continent’s food demand by 2050.  Three out of every four added to the planet between now and 2100 will be born in the region while in the coming half century, the land we grow our food would change.  High temperature would cause total farm yield to drop by 15 – 20 percent across all Africa.  The sixty five percent of the African workforce depend on agriculture.
The practice of Dams system in the context of development over the years are becoming necessary for improve agricultural development, water supply and energy among others.  Irrigated agriculture produce as high as ten times of rain feed agriculture.  It is also the financial bond of farmers in Africa as it improves the socio-economic condition of farmers.
Kafin Zaki Dam is one of the national agricultural strategy on the Hadejia, Jama’are, Yobe basin conceived as far back as 1970s, commissioned in 1982 but was stalled due financial challenges and in 1995 was re-awarded to Julius Berger Company.  Located on the upper side of the Jamaare Basin  was designed to provide water flow across Bauchi, Jigawa and Yobe States.
Several international and national organisations that include U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Netherlands Engineering Consultant (NEDECO) and Water Resources Engineering Construction Agency (WRECA) studies of the Hadejia- Jama’are river basin have identified water storage potentials capable of turning the fortune of the region for both irrigation and domestic water supply.  This is in addition to mitigating the drought prone nature of the North East region, a situation that has  substantially worsen over the years, because of steadily decline in the rainfall.  Expert believe that the climate uncertainty and reduction in rainfall in the region are very good reasons to have water conservation measures for both land reclamation and survival of numerous species.
Indeed it is the pride of any nation to be food sufficient and affordable, and irrigation is globally regarded as the sure way of increasing food production which the Kafin Zaki Dam stand to provide.  The population in Hadejia Jama’are and Yobe basins communities stand at 12 million and would grow to 14 million by the year 2015 and therefore the construction of the Kafin Zaki Dam need to be fast track so as to accelerate the socio-economic development of the people, by creating employment opportunities, reducing rural – urban migration and subsequently reduce the insecurity level in the North East.
On the part of the other agric components, with the increasing water conservation in the region that the Kafin Zaki Dam would provide, the certainty of grazing resources and reduction in mobility would also mean substantial increase in population, livestock yield and net effect of greater fishing resources in downstream areas up to Gashua and Geidam areas.
For more than two decades the people of Bauchi state that constitute over sixty percent of the Jama’are basin have been clamouring for the completion of the Kafin Zaki Dam, of cause for the agriculture fortune, while reinvigorating the move Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state within the purview of federal ministry of water resources sponsored for an Environmental Impact Assessment.  In deed the report reflect on baseline data acquisition, studies assessment, risk evaluation and identifying mitigating factors.What remain for the Kafin Zaki Dam project is the political commitment on the part of the federal government,the governors of Borno,Jigawa and Yobe states.
This article was contributed by Ibrahim Sani ([email protected])