Pattern of Gully Characteristics under Different Land use Practices in Gboko Town, Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

As an outcome of landuse, soil erosion over the years has been a major problem in many parts of Nigeria especially in the urban centers including Gboko town where a lot of buildings generate runoff from roofs that alter the landscape morphology of the this hilly town. This study assesses gully morphometry in Gboko town with the aim to determine gully characteristics, compare the gully characteristics in the built up and un-built areas of Gboko town. Data was collected from the two major land use scenario areas through measurement and observations using stratified, purposive, and systematic sampling techniques. The data was analyzed using both the descriptive and inferential statistics including mean, standard deviation and tests of variability, correlation and student t-test. The results of the study indicate that the gullies in the built up areas of Gboko north, south, west and east were deeper (0.6m, 0.8m, 0.5m and 0.5m) and wider (3.1m, 4.6m, 3.4m and 3.4m) compared to the un-built areas of the town respectively. The result indicated that a significant difference exist in the gully elements between built-up and un-built areas except in the slope angle which is but similar between gullies in Gbokowest area. The study therefore recommends that further monitoring of actual gully erosion should be done under different building environments in the tow to achieve balance between urbanization, building construction, runoff and gully development to achieve sustainable urban land use and drainage control in the study area.