Page 1 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 580
Erosion in Oba-Akoko, Ondo State
Nigeria Causes and Effect
Mr.Temola Thomas Olayemi ; Mr Anthony Fadesola Anjorin; Mr. Abu Stephen Olatubosun
Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Department of Urban and Regional Planning P.M.B.1019.
Owo. Ondo State.Nigeria.
olayemi.temola@gmail.com; anthonyfadeshola@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The countries of sub-Saharan Africa are besieged by serious environmental degradation resulting in d
esert encroachment, draught and soil erosion due to either wind impact or very high intensive rainfall
resulting in heavy runoff and soil loss and Oba-Akoko in Ondo State is no exception. The aim of this p
roject therefore is to identify the causes of erosion problems in Oba-Akoko, this was done through dire
ct observation as well as the use of structured questionnaire which were administered using the system
atic random sampling method. The findings revealed that the greatest singular cause of erosion proble
ms is the issue of blocked drainage which is occasioned by residents’ dumping of refuse in the drainag
e system especially during the raining season. To guide against the looming environmental disaster th
at is often associated with erosion, several recommendations were made which can safeguard the envi
ronment as well as the life of the residents if followed holistically.
KEYWORDS: Erosion, Waste Disposal, Erosion Causes, Blocked Drainage
INTRODUCTION
Erosion is the wearing away of the top soil on the surface of the earth, erosion is an environmental ph
enomenon that is widely common in Nigeria. Soil erosion by water and run off is often accepted as an
unavoidable phenomenon associated with carrying out agricultural and other various activities on slo
ping land. But soil loss by erosion or run off is not an unavoidable process (Faniran 1980).Erosion in
Oba-Akoko can be attributed to high rainfall, blockage of drainages. Oba Akoko is located in the Sout
hern region of Nigeria and it also falls within the rainforest zone. However, it enjoys rain from Januar
y to December, which is usually very heavy between the month of June and September, thereby exper
iencing high volume of runoff resulting in loss of topsoil due to absence of drainage system. The term
erosion can be defined as the wearing away or denudation of land mass, it is an inevitable phenomen
on, but becomes a disaster only when it occurs in the wrong place and at the wrong time Williams et a
l (1990). In some places, the impact of erosion can be highly visible through the presence of gullies, e
Page 2 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 581
xposed building foundation as well as fallen houses in an erosion prone area. Erosion takes place unde
r different conditions and it is called natural or geological erosion when it takes place under natural c
onditions however, man’s different activities on land such as, farming, mining, building and civil engi
neering construction also speed up erosion thus leading to the negative effect of erosion on physical d
evelopment.
THE STUDY AREA
Oba-Akoko town lies precisely on latitude 70 23, North of the Equator and longitude 50 44, east of the
Greenwich meridian, it is one of the most populous town in Akoko South West, it is located on an un
dulating terrain, surrounded by a number of hills.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The countries of sub-Saharan Africa are besieged by serious environmental degradation resulting in d
esert encroachment, draught and soil erosion due to either wind impact or very high intensive rainfall r
esulting in heavy runoff and soil loss. In Nigeria desertification and aridity are the major environmenta
l problems facing the northern part of the country while the high torrential rainfall of southern Nigeria
creates enabling environment for catastrophic soil erosion in the region. Although soil erosion cause
d by long-lasting or less-intense rainfall is not as spectacular, soil movement by rainfall is most noticea
ble during the short-time, high- intensity thunderstorms and the amount of soil loss can be considerabl
y high, especially when there is excess water on a slope that cannot be absorbed into soil or trapped o
n the surface, thus creating a run off, the intensity of which can increase if infiltration is reduced due t
o soil compaction (BCS Baldwin 2003). Burneth 1976 stated that erosion refers to the disintegration o
f rock, which lies exposed to what are called agents of erosion like moving ice or glacier, wind e.t.c. E
rosion can also occur on any land that is not protected by vegetative cover.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A methodology is the design process for carrying out research or the development of a procedure and i
s not itself an instrument for doing those things, using it as a synonym for method or set of methods, le
ads to misinterpretation and undermines the proper analysis that should go into designing research (Irn
y, and Rose, 2005). The data for this research was collected from both secondary sources and also thr
ough the use of structured questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered using the systematic
sampling method on a sample size of 111 respondents representing 0.5% of the population of the stud
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Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 582
y area.
ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS TABLE 1: SHOWING THE OCCUPATIONAL STATUS OF T
HE RESPONDENTS
Occupation No of respondent Percentage (%)
Farming 48 43.24%
Civil servant 20 18.02%
Student 15 13.51%
Self employed 12 10.82%
Artisan/ trading 16 14.41%
Total 111 100%
Source: author’s field survey, 2014. TABLE 2: SHOWING THE TYPES OF EROSION PROBL
EMS IN OBA AKOKO
Type of erosion problem No of respondent Percentage (%)
Gully erosion 35 31.53%
Sheet erosion 58 52.25%
Rill erosion 18 16.22%
Total 111 100%
Source: author’s field survey, 2014. TABLE 3: SHOWING THE CAUSES OF EROSION
PROBLEMS IN OBA- AKOKO
Type of erosion problem No of respondent Percentage (%)
Dumping of refuse in drainage 45 40.54%
Bad/untarrred road 16 14.41%
Others 50 45.05%
Total 111 100%
Source: Author field Survey, 2014. TABLE 8: SHOWING METHOD OF REFUSE DISPOSAL
Method of refuse disposal No of respondent Percentage (%)
Local govt. collector 14 12.61
Burning 30 27.03
Dumping in drainage 45 40.54
Open dumping 22 19.82
Total 111 100%
[1] Source: author’s field survey, 2014.
