CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF NATURE BASED SOLUTION FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF GROUNDWATER IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are stimulated and supported by nature, usage and natural processes to contribute to the improved management of water. In this study, a critical review of the groundwater resources history and management in the South western state of Nigeria was done. The aim was to identify reasons why groundwater is increasingly being exploited in recent times, and to explore ways through which the exploitation could be done sustainably by nature-based solution. The defining feature of an NBS is, therefore, not whether an ecosystem used is ‘natural’ but whether natural processes are being proactively managed to achieve a water-related objective.  It was observed that an estimated 60% of south western Nigeria’s population get potable water from ground resources. This high statistic is generally the resultant effect of infrastructural decay in the potable water supply sector of the country. In Nigeria, particularly the South western states comprising of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti State, just 14 % of the region’s population get regular water supply through piped sources while the remainder of the region’s 86.5 million people draw their water supply primarily from surface and groundwater sources. In particular, rapid urbanization, agricultural and industrial activities are major suppliers of pollutions to groundwater sources. Also, absence of data such as geographical information on water quantity, hydrology, state of aquifer and withdrawal limits have contributed to the unsustainable use of groundwater in Nigeria. It was suggested that proper regulation of groundwater resources and its protection under the land use act of 1978 could be instrumental to its sustainable exploitation.