Open AccessIRRIGATION POTENTIAL OF THE OYUN DAM RESERVOIR
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
umudike journal of engineering technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2545-5257
DOI - 10.33922/j.ujet_v5i1_9
Subject(s) - irrigation , water resource management , environmental science , resource (disambiguation) , hydrology (agriculture) , geography , engineering , agronomy , computer science , computer network , geotechnical engineering , biology
Water resource management includes the optimization of the uses of a dam reservoir for various human benefits. This study attempts to contribute to a better understanding of the smallholder irrigation sub-sector by evaluating the water resources and irrigation potential of Oyun Dam in Offa, North Central Nigeria. The water resources potential for the dam was analysed by considering the rainfall, evaporation, population and sedimentation and the irrigation potential by considering the irrigation command area, using the sequent peak analysis and the flow duration curve. The potential of using the irrigated land for rice was also investigated. Rice was used as a preferred crop because it has a high water requirement. The study revealed that apart from fulfilling its primary function of water supply, the Oyun dam reservoir has an excess available water of 2.04*106m3. This is exclusive of all losses based on reservoir storage capacity, therefore there is an irrigation command area potential of up to 160 hectares.