Watershed Management and Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Nigeria environment today is being confronted with myriads of ecological problems, which have resulted in serious degradation of many watersheds. These environmental problems are occurring at increasing and alarming rates and are being accelerated by man’s activities such as urbanization, increased agricultural activities, deforestation, bush burning, civil construction works, over-grazing and poor water resource management among others. These land-use transformation activities most times disrupt the natural processes of a basin thus triggering the occurrence of accelerated erosion, sedimentation, slope failure, flooding, drought, desert encroachment and pollution. Response to these problems in the recent past in the country has not been good, hence this paper. Effective and efficient basin management is a perquisite for reduction of natural disasters and achievement of sustainable development.